A Different Age
by icesong180
Summary: Arya, Firnen, Eragon, Saphira, Angela ,Solembum, and Elva are transported to the original Riders' era. What will happen to them? Will they be able to find a way to get back or will they be stuck forever? -Starts off 50 years after Inheritance
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:I do not own any part of the Inheritance Cycle, all rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

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**Author's Note:This chapter is split by the lines. They show the how the characters time travel in that characters point of view.**

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Arya and Firnen:

Arya sat, looking at her mirror, as tears threatened to fill her eyes. She had just finished scrying with Eragon, and there was no way to express the feelings that were threatening to overflow.

_"It will be alright ,dear one." _Her dragon Firnen said. "_The Riders will return once more!"_

Arya wiped away the offending tears. "Yes, I know, I am just confused about my feelings for Eragon. I apologize."

_"Everyone is confused at times dear one, it is no fault of your own."_

Arya smiled. Firnen could always be counted on to cheer her up.

_"Why thank you, dear one. I would have to say the same for you."_

"Meaning you do not wish to?" Arya teased.

_"What I would wish is that I could taste those deer that have been eluding me for quite some time now."_

Arya winced as Firnen sent her an image of the deer that he had just killed.

_"The delicious meat, so refreshing on your tongue as the blood drips down our chin and-"_

"Stop it!" Arya cried clapping her hands on her ears.

Firnen chuckled and returned to his hunting. He started diving at an alarming rate to catch his prey but he never got there. He felt wind swirling around him, and then nothing. Where was his partner-of-mind-and-soul? Where was he?

Back in Ellesmera, Arya experienced the same feeling. Where were they? And then she saw Eragon's face and her heart stopped.

* * *

Eragon and Saphira:

Eragon reclined in his chair. He had just finished scrying with Arya. As soon as he released the spell, he wished that he hadn't. He would never tire of looking into Arya's eyes or talking to her.

_"Eragon, you lovesick pigeon, get over here!" _Saphira said, or rather thought.

"Pigeon?" Eragon questioned, a he walked down the elaborate marble staircase. He and the elves had spent years building the city, which they named Du Skulblaka Grind, which translated to The Dragon Gate in the ancient language.

_"It was the first thing I saw. Now hurry up, I don't know exactly what has happened, but I _think_ Rhea might have gotten stuck under a rock."_

Attempting to stifle his chuckles, Eragon asked "How did she manage that?"

_"She was playing hide-and-go-seek."_

Eragon lost it then, and started laughing, all the way down the stairs. When he finally regained control, he was outside, walking towards Rhea and Saphira, around which there was a crowd of interested and curious spectators.

"Everyone, leave! Go back to your studies! We will take care of this."

The crowd slowly thinned, until only Blodhgarm, Saphira, him, Rhea's dragon Lastise, and of course Rhea remained.

"Shadeslayer, we need your help. I could get her out, but I'm afraid I might hurt her."

"It's ok, we'll fix it, you may go back to whatever you were doing prior to this...disturbance."

Blodhgarm dipped his head and left. Eragon turned to Rhea, who had herself propped up using her elbows, with half her body under the rock.

"Rhea, you get into the most peculiar situations."

"I didn't try to, I just thought this would be a good place to hide but the rock must have shifted so I got stuck coming out. "

_"Can you help her Master?" _Lastise asked.

"Of course" Eragon said, then with his mind he said"Saphira, can you lift the rock off of her?"

"_Do you even have to ask?" _Saphira responded, then proceeded to lift the rock up.

Once Rhea was freed, and fussed over by Lastise, she thanked Eragon and Saphira and left. As they turned around to leave, they felt a strange wind surround them and then all was dark, and then light again. Eragon got up and turned around to see Arya looking at him. Her face showed complete shock and many other feelings, but the only emotion Eragon could feel was love.

* * *

Angela, Solembum & Elva

"I think we need a little more sleep potion up front" Elva remarked just as the bell rang, announcing the arrival of yet another customer.

"There's some under the counter" Angela replied.

Elva and Angela had opened a shop in Kuasta, shortly after Nasuada had decided to control all the magicians in Alagaesia. No one could have been more enraged then Angela, and so she packed her bags, donned a disguise, and became the herbalist in yet another shop in yet another town. Elva had nothing to do and so became an apprentice to Angela. Solembum had, of course decided to tag , Elva had not aged much, still looking around 9 years old. Angela had guessed that, though Elva would age, she would live longer then most humans, and look much younger then she actually was, because of Eragon's spell.

So as Elva helped the elderly lady who had arrived looking for a cure for her sleeping ailment, the bemused lady privately wondered why someone would let such a young girl run their business.

"Thank you, and have a nice day!" Elva exclaimed before turning around and looking for Solembum.

"I wonder where Eragon is now."

"Across the seas, training new Riders-"

"I know that, I just wondered what he might be doing right now."

" Well then how would I know?" Solembum said dryly before returning to his nap.

Elva sighed. She should have known better then to disturb Solembum during his nap.

"Yes, you should have."Solembum said.

"Get out of my head!" Elva replied before pushing Solembum away with her mind. She leaned back on the counter and eyed him wearily. Then she felt a wind blow around her, and heard Solembum's howl, and Angela's yell before everything went dark. As the light brightened, Elva squinted, and she thought she could barely make out the shape of a dragon's head looking at her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:I do not own any part of the Inheritance Cycle, all rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

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"Where are we?"Elva asked, immediately sitting up.

"Elva?" Eragon.

"_Is that you, Eragon?_"Solembum asked.

"Eragon's here?"Angela asked.

A moment of confusion followed, where everyone confirmed their presence and explained how they had arrived.

"So once again, where are we?" said Elva.

"_I don't know, but there's a lot of trees so maybe we're in Du Weldenvarden._"Firnen sent his thoughts to everyone there.

"I don't think so, there's a giant pillar over there. "Angela said.

Saphira flew up to see what it was, and then all Eragon could feel from her was shock.

"What is it?"Arya asked.

Saphira took a moment to gather herself, and then said, "_I think it's Doru Araeba._"

"_But no that's impossible._"Saphira looked down. Everyone else had said the same thing in unison.

"Actually, it looks a lot like the ruins when we went there." Eragon pointed out.

"_Do you think we might be in the future?_"Firnen questioned.

"We could be, but I doubt anyone would ever build Doru Araeba the exact same way again." Angela said. "Although that would be an interesting adventure.

"But isn't time the one thing magic can't conquer?"Elva said.

"It might be possible, might not be. Then again, no one has tried it, have they." Angela remarked dryly.

"_Maybe we're in the past." _Saphira suggested.

"That's also possible, it would explain why that city looks like Doru Araeba."Arya said.

"_Well, instead of standing here talking, why don't we go there and ask someone?_" Solembum said.

"What if the people aren't friendly?" Elva asked, deliberately avoiding the phrase'What if the people are trying to kill us'.

"_Well, if you have a better idea, let's hear it._" Solembum stated, rather meanly.

"Did you wake him up from his nap?" Eragon asked.

"Unfortunately." Elva sighed.

"Let's go before it gets dark." Arya said. So they went.

* * *

Before long they stood before the gates of Doru Araeba. Every thing seemed perfect. The gates were majestic, giants made of iron, hovering above them, yet graceful and flowing at the same time. The intricate shapes that had been carved into them were beautiful and the sun passing through them only increased their ability to awe any viewers. They were very large, so big that three full-grown dragons could pass through them with ease and room to spare. The only factor that surprised the well worn travelers was that the gates were wide open, as if anyone was welcome, and the city had no enemies. After such a long time in a war, they had every right to be amazed by the hospitality provided in this city.

"It's... beautiful." Angela breathed, awestruck.

Everyone else nodded in agreement. As they walked in, they tried to absorb every detail. Then Arya gasped.

And no one had to ask questions, for they all saw the sight that had amazed the elf so.

Dragons. Dragons were flying here and there, performing loops and flips, and since none of them had seen so many dragons, more then there had ever been on Du Skulblaka Grind, they were speechless.

The air was filled with roars, and Firnen and Saphira joined in, bursting with joy at the scene before them.

Eragon, Angela, and Arya laughed as tears of happiness slid down their cheeks, and would have been content to stay like that forever, had not Solembum howled, Elva shrieked and a voice from behind them ask,"Who are you? I haven't seen you before, and I swear I have seen every dragon and Rider here."

* * *

All three of them whirled around and drew their weapons. At the same time Firnen and Saphira growled threateningly.

"Peace, I mean you no harm, though I think you should not be so quick to resort to violence to solve your problems." An black-haired elf was the owner of this voice. Behind him, his white dragon growled, completely defying his rider's words.

Eragon, Arya and Angela hesitated and lowered their weapons, though did not replace them. The elf sighed.

"Who are you?"Elva asked suspiciously.

"Vrael. And this is my dragon, Umaroth." said Vrael.

"So you know where we are?"

"You are in Doru Araeba. How can you not know that?"

"Well... We're not from around here and-Wait did you say you were Vrael?!"

"Yes."

Angela, Arya, Eragon, and Elva looked at each ther, then began talking in hushed whispers.

"Is he THE Vrael?"

"How can he be?"

"Remember how we could have gone back in time?"

"That would explain why he's alive."

"_I told you so_." Firnen said.

"_Firnen! That's not important! But anyway, I think that they have no memories of us, because Umaroth hasn't recognized us."_Saphira put in.

"We should leave while we can." said Angela."Before we get caught up in all this."

"Perhaps", said Arya wistfully."But I've always wanted to see how the old Riders had lived, and now we have a chance."

"In any case, we shouldn't let them know who we truly are."said Eragon.

"_You realize we could just tell them about Galbatorix and skip the whole war?"_Said Solembum. Everyone was quiet.

"_No._"Firnen said. Everyone looked at him surprised. "_It wouldn't be right. All are lives would get messed up, and most of us probably wouldn't have met, or even existed. Whoever has brought us here had a reason, but I don't think it's this. Leave fate as it is. Who are we to change people's destiny?"._

"_He has a point._" said Solembum.

"You're the one who brought this up in the first place!"exclaimed Eragon.

"_And now I have changed my mind."_ Solembum stated, as if everything was resolved.

"Excuse me? I have a few questions for you, and I'm sure the other council members do too. Will you come with us?" said Vrael.

"Will you force us to if we say no?"Arya asked. Vrael frowned.

"Well, we do have the safety of Alagaesia to worry about, and it would be much easier if you just agreed...".

Angela glanced at them all."Might as well. Just remember, don't say who you really are.". This last part she said quietly, so only they could hear. And so they all set off after Vrael, trying to see everything in Doru Araeba as though it was their last day. Which it most certainly, was not.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

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"And this is the Dragon Keep, where all the dragons live." Vrael gestured toward a large building to their right.

Vrael was giving them all a brief tour while they walked to the main building on Vroengard, where the Council members held their meetings. He had explained that all the Council members wanted to do was make sure that the seven companions meant no harm to the Dragon Riders.

"Are you currently the leader of the Riders?" asked Angela.

"Yes, I am."

"Why wouldn't he be?"Elva asked.

"Well, Anurin could still be the leader."

Vrael looked confused."Anurin died almost 200 years ago. Where are you from?"

_"Nice try."_Solembum said.

Vrael grinned,"Thank you."

They walked for a few more minutes in silence. "_What will you do after the Council members see you?_"asked Umaroth.

"I don't think your Council members will let us off that easily." Angela replied darkly.

"So you are a threat to us?"Vrael asked.

Everyone besides Vrael and Umaroth glared at Angela.

"What a lovely mushroom that is. I don't believe I know the name of that one. What is it?"Angela abruptly changed the subject.

Vrael started to complain."I don't understand. You pop out of no where in Doru Araeba-"

"Wrong."Elva said loudly.

Vrael looked up. "What?"Everyone looked at Elva in confusion.

"We didn't pop up in Doru Araeba."

"We didn't?" Eragon questioned.

"No, we popped up_ outside_ of Doru Araeba. There's a difference."Everyone groaned in exasperation.

"Angela raised you, did she not?"Arya said.

"Is it that obvious?"Elva asked.

"Yes."All of them said in unison.

"Anyway, you pop up out of nowhere, are _very _behind the times on the Riders, but you still know who am. Who are you?"Vrael said that all in one breath._  
_

The group suddenly became very interested in the scenery around them.

Vrael sighed. "Well, here we are, Julinka Hall. Come on in, and watch your step. Especially you, little girl."

"Excuse me?!" Elva drew herself up to her full height of 3'7". "I will have you know that-"she started out very haughtily.

"_Well, you are little, and a girl._"Saphira pointed out. Elva sniffed, but even she didn't dare say anything against a dragon.

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The seven companions had not thought that anything could be built more splendidly then Doru Araeba, but they had to immediately rethink upon stepping into Julinka Hall. The first thing they saw was a mosaic, so strategically crafted, that the picture of the Nidhwal took on almost a lifelike appearance. Then, as they looked around themselves, they noticed that the whole inside of the hall seemed to be underwater. At least, that was what the scenes on the walls depicted. Fish seemed to surround the room, and the ceiling to floor windows only let in the right amount of light to make it seem as though you were swimming in the watery depths of the ocean. The remarkable thing was, everything seemed hand carved, as though it had taken years to make.

Unknown to the seven time travelers, Vrael was watching their reactions carefully. Though the two dragons and the werecat showed no shock, the others were rather, open, in their expressions.

They all looked surprised, impressed, and even a little, sorrowful?

"_Why would they feel sad?_"Vrael asked Umaroth, privately in his thoughts.

"_Perhaps where they are from, their city was destroyed._"Umaroth suggested.

"_Perhaps. It seems we will never learn all their secrets._"

Arya looked up."Who built this hall?"

Startled out of his reverie, Vrael looked up. "What?"

Arya repeated her question.

"An elf that came here with Anurin long ago. He admired the creatures of the ocean with a passion. He named the hall after his mate, Julinka who had died at the hands of a Shade."

"_You know much about it._" commented Firnen.

Vrael hesitated, then replied, "She was my mother.".

There was a pause. "I'm sorry." Arya said finally.

Vrael spread his hands. "It is alright, I barely knew her. Now we should be moving. Follow me."

The group climbed up the stairs. Vrael opened the one of the many large, elaborate doors.

A silver-haired elf looked up from a map.

"Ebrithil?"Eragon asked.

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**Well good job Eragon, you blew your cover. Anyway people i just wanted to tell you to check out this cool story another author wrote. Its called Arget, by Xiah-sensei. Its about Vrael and takes place during the old Riders time. Its really good, and you won't be disappointed. So yeah. Til the next chapter.**


	4. Chapter 4

Everyone froze. Angela face-palmed.

Startled, Oromis said"Do I know you?".

Vrael started to smile. Finally, a clue to who these mysterious visitors were.

"Good job, blockhead, now Vrael's smiling."Angela yelled at Eragon, rather loudly.

Vrael's grin grew bigger. "Now, now, there's nothing wrong with me smiling, is there?".

Angela rolled her eyes but otherwise remained silent.

"How do you know who I am?" Oromis asked suspiciously.

"We, uh-" Eragon started.

"Heard about you in our village!"Elva shouted.

Oromis looked at Elva strangely. "And what village do you hail from child?"

Elva looked like she was going to lose it, but Arya sent her a warning glance. Elva harrumphed and turned away.

Vrael looked disappointed, but he brightened quickly as he looked around the room. "And since everyone in the Council is present-"

Arya sighed. "We know, we know, it's time for us to tell you who we are. Can't we just swear in the ancient language that we won't hurt you?"

Vrael thought for a moment."No."

"How do you know me."Oromis reached for his weapon, clearly irritated.

"We'll tell you our story in a moment."Arya replied. In the group's minds, she said,"_So what_ is_ our story?_".

Everyone thought for a few minutes.

One of the council members coughed.

"Oh have a little patience!"Angela snapped. Then in their minds, she said,"_Well how's this: We are a group of nomads from a small town near Kuasta, so we don't receive news very often. We have been traveling together for 8 years now, and we have just stumbled across Doru Araeba._"

"_That should work, but what about Saphira and Firnen? And Arya is an elf, and Eragon is a half-elf, how would you know them?_" Solembum pointed out.

Elva sighed,"_So it wouldn't work._" They all thought some more.

Firnen hesitated, then said"_Well, what if Arya and Eragon had been given two eggs from a wild dragon because they had done her a favor? Then Saphira and I hatched for them, and we all met you and started traveling together._"

"_What kind of favor? And what if they ask the name of the wild dragon? We can't say we forgot, because that is a kind of encounter you would never._" Arya rebutted.

"_We could say we were sworn to secrecy by the dragon to not tell what we did, and she never told us her name."_ Eragon suggested.

"I would love to hear the wonderful cover story you are no doubt coming up with right now, but I'm sure all the other Council members would rather have the truth." Vrael said.

The group turned around slowly.

"_We could make a run for-"_ Firnen started.

"And please do not insult us by even thinking about running. You are on an island completely populated by Dragon Riders, who are more then capable of tracking you down. " Vrael broke in.

"And if we don't tell?"Arya asked.

"Then we will force our way into your minds."a Council member said.

"Silence, Rial."Vrael said sharply.

Arya took the opportunity."No, I think I would like to hear what dearest Rial wants to say. I thought The Dragon Riders stood for justice. How can you justify breaking into someone's mind without their permission, simply because they will not tell you more about them?"

Rial flushed. "We must be sure that you do not plan to harm us, or destroy all that we have worked for for so long."

"Why does Vrael not want you to talk? Are you not as capable of finding solutions as he? And what if we promised not to hurt you? Would you sneak into our thoughts even then?" Arya shot back.

Eragon began to smile, realizing what Arya was doing. Other council members noticed too, and though they stayed silent, looked alarmed. Vrael had his face in his hands. He clearly knew there was no way to stop Rial now. Rial remained oblivious.

"Of course I am capable of making decisions! Promises are worth little in the real world. How could we be sure that you wouldn't break it?" Rial answered.

Elva observed Vrael, who, in the middle of Rial's furious reply, had opened his mouth to speak. Most likely he would have told Rial to stop talking, but one of the Council members grabbed his arm. She was an elf, that was clear, but her age and significance in Vrael's life was not. Whatever their relationship, she had shaken her head, and Vrael had abruptly closed his mouth, though a frown and look of confusion had marred his features.

Meanwhile, Rial and Arya's argument had continued. Arya had switched to the ancient language to relay the rest of her message."You say the only reason you want to know our story is to ensure we are not a threat to you. Then answer me this. If we swore in the ancient language that we would not harm you, then would you agree to not force us to tell our tale, harm us in turn, or delve into our minds? "

"We would. But who says that you would swear?" Rial said, also switching to the elven tongue. Vrael flinched.

Arya smiled then. A quick, fleeting lift of her lips, that did not last long, but showed Rial that she had done something very,very foolish indeed.

"We will swear. And I hold you to your oath, Rider, to stop pestering us for more information about our lives that we wish to remain secret. You, and all those you speak for." Arya gestured towards the rest of the Council.

Vrael looked like he had lost all that was dear to him, in that one moment. Oromis stared. The rest of the Council members murmured in disapproval.

Then a peal of laughter broke through the air, along with the sound of someone slowly clapping. The same elven maid who had stopped Vrael stepped out of the crowd, still laughing.

"Well spoken, Shurtugal, well spoken. That was the best entertainment I have gotten all day," Here she turned to glare at Vrael, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "And for that I thank you. I am Laciana, Rider of Nir'dien."

"Thank you Laciana-elda." Arya replied.

"Mmm." Laciana stepped towards the two dragons, and exchanged pleasantries with them.

A thought seemed to strike Vrael. "You knew this would happen? And you didn't say anything, or let me stop her?"

Laciana shrugged."It was amusing. And it certainly taught Rial a lesson, didn't it?" At this she looked pointedly at Rial.

"Yes, Laciana-elda."Laciana waved her away, and Rial left.

"There. Everyone's happy. Now would like to see where you can stay?" she said to the time-travelers kindly.

"Wait. I still think I should know how they know me, but I have no memory of them." Oromis broke in.

Laciana seemed annoyed."No you shouldn't, and you also have no right to ask them, thanks to Rial."

"Something you could have stopped from happening." Vrael pointed out.

"Something I don't regret. Now I'm going to take them to their rooms. Everyone else, no questions."

"But-" Oromis started.

"No."

"They-"

"No!"

"I-"

"Oromis!" Laciana said sternly.

The elf became silent at once, but not before glaring suspiciously at the group.

"Now come. We don't have all day you know." Laciana said to the time travelers.

Everyone took one last sight of the different emotions on the various Council members' faces, before turning and heading out the door.

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**So what do you think of Laciana? Like? Want her to be more involved in the story? She'd be funny, I promise that. Like an older, more improved Angela who has more power. Review please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

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Eragon watched the sun set, a thin line above the horizon. The dragons were still flying, though not as many as before. It had been three hours since the elf woman, Laciana, had shown them to their new rooms.

Eragon turned. The rooms were simple, definitely not as fancy as he had been expecting and dreading. They were actually many rooms, connected by doors, because of their large company. Eragon and Arya had their own rooms. Angela, Solembum and Elva shared a room. Elva had been given the choice of her own room, but had refused. Angela seemed to like it better that way too.

Saphira and Firnen had been taken to the Dragon Keep, and right now, all the males seemed to be attracted to Saphira, while the females had become quite taken to Firnen.

Eragon could hear Arya trying to smother her giggles in the room next door, and Eragon struggled to do the same.

"_How goes it, Saphira?_" Eragon said to Saphira. He knew perfectly well what was going on at the moment, as he could see it in Saphira's thoughts.

Saphira growled."_Eragon, why don't you get down here and help us, instead of standing there laughing?_"

_"It can't be that bad."_ Saphira sent an image of a dark purple colored dragoness who had just tried to bite the end of Firnen's tail.

Eragon fell on the bed, barely able to silence his chuckles. "_I wonder what Firnen is telling Arya."_

"_ I don't know, but you know what the worst part is?"_

_"What?"_

_"__They're all younger than us."_

Eragon couldn't contain it anymore. He heard Saphira's growl of frustration before he succumbed to laughter. However, Saphira's love for Firnen had brought back the feelings he had harbored for Arya, and had hid away until now, when they resurfaced.

* * *

Arya had been listening to her dragon's roars' increasing volume as many male dragons attempted to seduce his mate, while being paraded by female dragons for quite some time now.

Arya could tell the same problem was affecting Saphira because she frequently heard Eragon attempting to stifle his laughter. She wasn't doing a very good job of containing hers, either.

It was rather amusing, because according to Firnen, all these dragons were younger then Saphira and him.

Arya got up from her curled up position on the bed(from laughing so hard), and went for the door that connected hers and Eragon's rooms.

She walked in to see him face down on his pillow, as he shook from laughter. He looked up, and Arya mouthed 'You too?'. Eragon nodded before breaking down again at something else Saphira had said or another dragon had done. He did look quite handsome. Arya shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

"_Exactly. Now imagine that ten other elf women are trying to mate with him."_ Firnen interrupted. Arya pushed him away. She was not in love with Eragon.

"They put them with the youngest dragons, which made them the oldest."Arya waited a moment for Eragon to gather himself.

Finally, Eragon regained enough control to say,"Yes, Saphira told me."

"Do you think we should go help them?"Arya questioned.

Eragon shrugged. "I suppose so."

"Where are you going?" Angela walked in, followed by Solembum and Elva.

Eragon started laughing again, and fell on his pillow. Elva frowned. "And what's wrong with him?"

Arya struggled to hide her emotions, then said,"Saphira and Firnen are being pursued by dragons who are younger than them."

Angela brightened."Oh, this I must see." She grabbed her cloak, threw everyone else's on a chair, and started getting ready.

Elva sighed. "I guess we're going then."

* * *

Firnen turned and growled, at both the purple female, and the blue dragon that was following Saphira.

Saphira was getting rather annoyed with the female dragons trying to win over her mate, so she told them to go away in the politest way possible. For a dragon. Who was very irritated.

Saphira turned and roared, so loudly that Umaroth and Vrael came to see what was going on, reduced Arya and Eragon to fits of laughter once more, and made Angela, Solembum, and Elva hurry to see what the matter was. It also caused all the people and dragons on the island to freeze, panic, and start getting ready in case there was a battle.

Firnen looked at Saphira appreciatively. After all the other dragons in that section recovered from the initial shock of the sound, the females hissed, looked at Firnen longingly, but turned away to each of their respective nests.

The males, however, did not back down, only became encouraged and so another roar shook the island, this one belonging to a male dragon.

Umaroth landed in the Dragon Keep to see every dragon in their own nests, and also noticed that though they sent looks of hatred and lust to the new dragons, avoided them as they would a Dauthdaert.

Vrael jumped off Umaroth, and walked towards the two new dragons. He heard footsteps, and turned to see the strange time-travelers rushing towards them. The two Riders were gasping for breath, and once they saw how orderly the Dragon Keep had become, they bit their lips to hide their laughter.

The two dragons growled, and had a mental conversation with their Riders. Their Riders, however were still trying not to laugh. Vrael imagined they were being chastised for not coming to stop the other dragons.

He was surprised he could relate to them. The same thing had happened to Umaroth once, and had been worse because he had not had a mate at the time.

"_And I hated every moment of it."_ Umaroth thought to his Rider.

"_But it was rather humorous."_Vrael said.

"_No it, wasn't." _Vrael decided not to argue.

"What are you names?"Vrael asked.

"_Seriously? After what just happened, and you ask them that?"_ Umaroth commemted privately to Vrael.

Vrael ignored him. Saphira turned her head slowly.

Her voice echoed in Vrael's head, musical, but with a hint of sadness permanently etched in, as though she had faced many troubles.

"_I am Saphira and my Rider is Eragon. This is Firnen and his Rider Arya. The witch is Angela_(Angela waved),_ the werecat Solembum, and the child is Elva."_

The last part was said with amusement. Elva frowned.

Vrael looked surprised. Angela smirked. "You weren't expecting that, were you?"

"No, I was not." Vrael said.

Angela's grin grew bigger. "You should have. Expect the unexpected. It makes you a better leader."

Everyone sighed. "_Anyway, what happened?_"Umaroth questioned.

Firnen explained. "_I see. Let's move you to a different building then, shall we?"_

"_Thank you, Ebrithil."_ Saphira said.

"_It is neccesary, if we do not wish to demoralize our future Riders."_

The group laughed."Then it is settled. We can move Saphira and Firnen into Umaroth's section, and hopefully no one there will attempt...this again."Vrael said.

All of them, Umaroth and Vrael included, started to head outside. Then, a blinding flash of light was seen through the windows. They all rushed out.

Sitting in the middle of the sparring field, looking completely confused, were Thorn and Murtagh.

* * *

**Thank you, Tamerlain85, for the brilliant idea of adding Thorn and Murtagh. It's going to be really fun writing Vrael's reaction to them in the story as well. So yeah. And I won't know if I should continue the story if you don't give feedback. So please, REVIEW!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Arya gasped. Angela stared. Elva showed no response or emotion upon seeing a dragon and Rider appear 20 feet away from them. Solembum flicked his tail, also not caring. Firnen and Saphira walked over to Thorn and Murtagh. And Eragon opened his mouth, closed it, then turned to Vrael.

The leader of the Riders was staring at the new dragon and Rider. His expression held so much dismay and astonishment, that Umaroth began to be worry.

Umaroth nudged Vrael. He might as well have been trying to get a rock to talk. Umaroth grew impatient, and simply decided to knock his Rider over.

The grass broke Vrael's fall. He sat up.

"How many of you are there?"He asked.

"He's one of the few that are completely trained. But if people start arriving from Du Skulblaka Grind...let's just say you'll have too many immature Riders and dragons running about to count. "Eragon replied. Angela tutted, Eragon was giving away more information...again. Arya left to see how Thorn and Murtagh were.

Vrael groaned. "Du Skulbalka Grind? I've never heard of such a place."

Eragon smirked."I know." He then turned and followed Arya.

Vrael sighed, and fell back onto the grass, closing his eyes. "It seems I will never learn all of your secrets."

"You don't know any of them now." Elva pointed out.

Umaroth moved his massive head to stare at the witch-child. "_And you know none of ours._"

Elva bowed her head."I never claimed I did."

Umaroth turned and started towards Thorn and Murtagh, and everyone else followed.

* * *

Thorn and Murtagh were more than confused. One second they were in the ruined, abandoned town of Nalhuae near the island of Nia, and the next they were transported in a blinding flash of light to some field. A humongous building towered in front of them. Gathering around them were elves, humans and ...dragons?

Immediately suspicious, Murtagh shot to his feet, and almost fell back down from shock when he saw Saphira and a green dragon heading towards them. The green dragon, Murtagh assumed was Firnen, who he heard had hatched for Arya.

"_Perhaps we are on the new island of the Riders that Eragon founded, Du Skulblaka Grind. But why are Arya and Firnen here then?"_ Thorn suggested.

Murtagh was about to respond, when he saw the Rider and dragon Galbatorix had used him to kill, Oromis and Glaedr.

"_How is that possible?"_ Murtagh asked Thorn.

Thorn hummed."_ Ancient magic is at work here. Yet it is not possible to bring someone back to life, and I do not think we are mistaken in thinking those are Oromis and Glaedr."_

"_You were transported back in time._"Saphira's voice sounded, loud and clear like a bell ringing in their head's.

As Murtagh and Thorn started to assault Saphira and Firnen with questions, Firnen said, "_Let us explain."_

Murtagh did not even try to decipher the flood of images, scenes, and conversations that passed between the two dragons and Thorn.

When they were finished, Thorn gave a brief summary of what had passed between them to his Rider. Then Arya started to walk towards Murtagh, followed by Eragon, the witch Angela, a 6-year old child, a werecat, a white dragon, and a black-haired elf Murtagh had never seen before in his life.

Arya then introduced the child as Elva, the girl Eragon had blessed in Farthen Dur so long ago, and the werecat as Solembum.

"And this is Umaroth and his Rider, Vrael."Arya finished.

Thorn began to question Arya, "_Umaroth? And Vrael? Are they-_"_  
_

Vrael sighed and said," Yes, I am the leader of the Riders, and yes, Umaroth is my dragon, and yes, we have no clue who you are. So please explain."

"I am Murtagh, and this is my dragon, Thorn."

"I see. And you will not tell us your story either, I take it?"

Murtagh shrugged. "Probably not."

Vrael's face held no emotion at all. "I expected that. But why not"

Murtagh put on a face of mock concentration. "Let me think. We don't know you from anything other than stories, your dragon is staring at us like he wants to kill us, and we've been through too many bad experiences to count. Now why would that discourage us from giving you an account of our life?"

"Sometimes it pays off to trust strangers." Vrael said.

"And sometimes it is a very, very foolish thing to do." Murtagh retorted. Vrael decided not to push the Rider farther, especially when he looked like he was going to draw his weapon.

Instead, Vrael turned to Oromis and Glaedr, who had just landed a few feet away from them. "Do you know Oromis and Glaedr?"

Murtagh stiffened. Oromis looked at him curiously, then turned to Vrael and said, "Laciana has called for a Council meeting on..."

Vrael nodded. "Yes. I'll be right there."

"_Umaroth, can you lead all of the dragons to your section in the Dragon Keep? This meeting is really important."_

Umaroth turned to the Saphira, Firnen, and Thorn. "_ Come."_ He took off into the sky, and the three dragons followed.

Oromis rather reluctantly then said," Laciana has also asked for them to be present."He waved his hand at the time-travelers.

"Why?" Angela asked.

"Why does Laciana do anything?"Vrael said.

"What is the meeting about?" Arya asked.

"You'll find out. But you must swear in the ancient language not to repeat anything that is said to anyone other than Council members."

"I thought this age would be more secure and trusting than our own time." Elva muttered.

Vrael snapped to attention. "What?"

"She means the time we were in our town. Everyone was so strict." Angela quickly jumped in.

Oromis frowned. "You should know that you don't do a very good job of hiding your slip-ups."

"_Can't argue there._" Solembum said.

Elva stuck her tongue out at both of them.

"So where are we going exactly?" Murtagh asked.

"Julinka Hall, here the Council members hold their meetings." Vrael replied.

They entered the majestic building, and the time-travelers seemed just as overwhelmed as they had the first time they saw it. Murtagh was even more shocked.

Oromis smiled for the first time since the group had arrived. "Never loses it's charm, does it." He said to Vrael quietly.

Vrael smiled and shook his head in response.

They once again climbed up the staircase, and entered the room they had been in earlier that day.

Vrael opened the door, and the room fell silent, upon the arrival of another new Rider.

* * *

**Next chapter will be about the meeting. They might even meet-No i won't give it away. :) Also, are there any suggestions for what to call Saphira, Firnen, Thorn, Eragon, Arya, Murtagh, Angela, Solembum, and Elva? I can't write everyone's names all the time, so I've been calling them 'everyone', 'time-travelers', or 'group' but it kind of gets repetitive. So if you have any ideas, please review. If you don't have ideas, please review anyway.**

**And Merry Christmas everyone! Or Happy Kwanzaa! Or whatever holiday you celebrate! (Is Hanukkah over yet?)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

The room used for Council meetings was very large and rectangular. There was a long table stretching from one end of the room to the other, that had many papers and a map on it. There were 12 seats surrounding the table, and the one at the end was empty. All of the Council members were excepting Rial were present. Shelves overflowing with scrolls lined the room's walls, reaching from the floor to the ceiling. There was one wall completely covered in maps of Alagaesia and notes. The architectural build of the room, however was elegant, much like the room below it, but more suited to an intellectual life. The carvings were just as intricate.

The elf woman Laciana glided forward. To Vrael, she said, "Finally decided to show up, have you?"

Vrael grinned. "I take my time."

Laciana smiled warmly at the time-travelers. "I don't believe I got your names the last time we met."

Arya introduced everyone. A Council member sitting at the table decided to speak up. "Murtagh looks like Morzan, does he not?"

The time-travelers froze. Laciana's eyes turned cold, and her mood went from welcoming host to weary soldier in seconds. All the other Council members did not seem affected. They muttered among themselves. Vrael stayed silent but looked at Laciana curiously. Oromis examined Murtagh, but if he found a similarity between his student and this strange, new Rider he did not say.

"Yes, I can see the resemblance."

"Maybe they are related?"

"Could be, but how? An egg hasn't been to Morzan's village for quite a while now."

"These strangers are simply shrouded in mystery, are they not?"

"Enough!"Laciana's voice snapped through the air. "We must get on with our meeting, and this is not the reason our guests are here. I have asked them to come because they may be able to help us. You will treat them as you would any other Council member. Do I make myself clear?"

Laciana's eyes roamed around the room, her gaze lingering on a few Council members in particular. There were muttered responses of 'Yes, Laciana.'

"Good. And now we can continue." She looked at Vrael, and something passed through them mentally.

Vrael cleared his throat, and began talking. " As you may or may not know, this meeting is being held to discuss the actions of a secret organization in Alagaesia that is attempting to gain power. They have been confirmed as a threat and are using any means they can to get what they want. As far as we know, they have created a Shade that is terrorizing this region." He pointed to a place near the Spine. "The leader remains unknown, but we believe there is a spy hidden here in Doru Araeba. That is why we must have you swear in the ancient language that you will not reveal any secrets before we continue." Vrael said, looking at Eragon and his circle of friends.

They all looked at each other, and had a brief mental conversation.

"_He has a point. And I would like to know more about this group."_ Eragon said.

"_I agree, and I do not believe that they mean us any harm." _Arya replied.

"_We have sworn too many oaths already."_ Solembum grumbled, but relented in the end, after a few minutes of explaining, persuasion, and flattery.

"_So we will swear._"Elva concluded. _  
_

"_Yes. We will swear._"Angela said.

They looked at Vrael, who had sat down, and was talking quietly to Laciana and a few other Council members.

He looked up, and said, "You have decided?"

"Yes. We promise not to reveal any information discussed in this meeting to anyone." Eragon said. The others repeated his words.

Vrael seemed satisfied, as did the other Council members, but Laciana spoke.

"And your dragons? Will they swear too?" She questioned.

Murtagh looked at her. "You really think of everything, don't you?"

Laciana flashed her white teeth in a smile."I couldn't survive so many wars by letting any loopholes exist in oaths made by others, now could I?"

"How many wars have you survived?" Murtagh wondered.

A shadow passed over her face, and Laciana replied, "More than I should have." in a tone that announced that the matter was closed.

If Vrael thought anything was wrong here, he did not show it. "So will your dragons please swear too?"

When they had, Vrael began talking again. For hours, all the group heard were theories so complex that their minds began to spin, battle strategies so daring that they seemed foolish to try, and predictions so dreadful that they almost made them sick.

But through it all, the one message that truly stayed in their heads, was that the reason the Dragon Riders of old had survived so long, was because of the people in this Council. Especially Laciana, whose ability to plan and strategize, so fast that often things had to be repeated, was incomparable.

They couldn't really figure out how old she was, but her level of experience was greater than Vrael himself.

Finally when the meeting was drawing to an end, even Arya, who had had over a century of experience in war meetings and tactics, was confused.

Vrael looked at the time-travelers, many of which were trying to hide their tiredness, and asked them, "Will you help us track down and defeat this organization?"

Everyone agreed, promising their help, even if it was simply to get away, and started to filter out along with the Council members.

"Wait." Laciana stopped Eragon and his circle of friends, and waved at the Vrael and everyone else to leave.

When the room was empty, except for Laciana, Eragon and his friends, Laciana turned to Eragon and said, "I know your secret."

Everyone became alert at once.

"_What do you mean, Rider?_"Solembum hissed.

Laciana did not seem shaken at all, she simply looked at the werecat. She lowered her voice. "I know that you do not belong here, and are from the future. And even though I have not told Vrael or the Council, I know that part of this new resistance group is made up of people from your time. I will not reveal more about them, but I believe they are a dwarf clan, and call themselves Az Sweldn rak Anhuin."

As they all started to pester her with questions, Laciana simply raised her hand for them to stop. "I will not tell anyone about you, but if you hurt as much as even a hair on anyone's head, I will not hesitate to, ah, slip up to one of my colleagues." With that, Laciana whirled around and gracefully exited the room, leaving the time-travelers with feelings of dismay, anxiety, and fear.

Of course, knowing that if you make one wrong move, one of the most powerful elves in all the land will be your enemy, is not a happy thought, and so everyone found the quickest escape possible.

Sleep.

* * *

**Thank you to all the people who gave ideas for what to call the time travelers, or anyone who reviewed. And sorry for all the people expecting to meet someone in this chapter. I promise the next chapter will include the new person. Please don't hate me. Hope you have a wonderful holiday season!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

The next day, the time-travelers awoke and tried their hardest to forget the events of the previous night. In the end, it didn't work, so in the earliest hours of daylight, Angela called them all for a meeting in the room she shared with Elva and Solembum.

"Why do you need to do this now? I barely got enough sleep last night, wondering how in the world Laciana figured us out." Elva said, rubbing her eyes.

"I agree. Why don't we do this later? Good night." Eragon said, turning around to leave.

Solembum, Elva, and Murtagh started to follow, and Thorn, Firnen and Saphira withdrew from their minds.

Arya grabbed Eragon's arm. "Stop. We must find out how Laciana knew our secret, so that it does not happen again." She glared at Murtagh, who quailed under her gaze.

Eragon reluctantly stopped. The others sighed, and sat down again. The dragons became alert as well.

Angela began."Maybe we let something too obvious slip." She stared at Eragon.

"What?"He said.

"Did you?"Elva asked.

"Why do you immediately assume it was me?"

Arya sighed. "Eragon, you've been saying secrets out loud ever since we got here."

Eragon scoffed. "I don't think the name of a place that doesn't exist here should be considered a secret. Besides, it's not like Laciana could have done research on it."

"We don't know what she's capable of. She is obviously a dangerous enemy to have." Angela said darkly.

Murtagh spoke then. "What if she knows how to time-travel?"

The occupants of the room were silent. "_Then we can only hope she means us no harm otherwise, for she could destroy us all, even in our own time._" Solembum said.

On that cheerful note, the meeting ended, and everyone was allowed to return to their rooms, only to realize that sleep could not find them now.

* * *

There was a knock on Arya's door. She wearily got up, and could feel Firnen stirring in the Dragon Keep.

As she opened the door, she could hear Angela,, Eragon, and Murtagh getting up. There had been a slight problem upon Murtagh's arrival about where he would stay, but now he and Eragon were sharing a room.

A young human boy was standing in front of the door. He had been looking in another direction, but he turned to Arya at the sound of the door swinging open.

He seemed surprised at Arya's appearance.

"Master Vrael and Master Laciana are asking for you and everyone else in your group to come to the sparring field. He says you will know where that is. And,er, he was probably expecting you to be awake already." The boy looked her up and down. "You're an elf aren't you? What's your name?"

"Yes, I am, and my name is Arya. What's yours?" she responded.

"Galbatorix. Who's your-"The young Galbatorix was cut off by Arya slamming the door in his face.

He was so confused, that he didn't even move.

Behind the door, Arya tried to gather her thoughts. She knew that if she gave away anything to this Galbatorix, the future could be changed dramatically.

"_You must proceed with caution whenever near him.__"Firnen said._

_"Yes, I'll have to warn the others later._"

Arya turned around, and opened the door a second time. The older Galbatorix wouldn't have wasted a second to knock the door down, but this one was just standing there, attempting to decipher the reason for Arya's actions.

"Why'd you do that?" Galbatorix asked.

"Accident. Sorry. So, I should probably get ready now, right?"

Galbatorix grinned. Arya was filled with pity. The smile that lit up this child's face was so innocent, that she became dreadfully scared of what a drastic change losing your dragon could have on you. The child standing in front of her would kill millions of people and dragons, elves and humans alike in his life, yet now, he seemed so carefree. She worried for Firnen, and their bond as dragon and Rider.

"_Nothing will happen to me. Do not be afraid._"her dragon said.

"Right. Master Vrael doesn't like to have to wait, so HIS master is always telling him to have patience. Did you know Master Laciana was actually born in Alalea? She was alive during the war between the dragons and the elves. I'm pretty sure that she's the oldest person in Alagaesia. She even taught Anurin, before Vrael." Galbatorix replied to Arya's question cheerfully.

Arya was shocked to learn this piece of information, and remembered to share it with the others later. But she hid her emotions, and said, "That's interesting, but I really have to go now. It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Goodbye."Galbatorix said, before heading down the hallway.

Arya shut the door, and went to wake the others.

* * *

The time-travelers walked onto the sparring field, looking around for Laciana and Vrael.

Their reactions to Arya's meeting with Galbatorix had been exactly as expected. Eragon and Murtagh had jumped up and yelled, "What?!. They insisted on Arya repeating the entire conversation multiple times, convinced that Galbatorix was plotting something, until Angela yelled at them to stop talking and sit down.

Angela had wanted to learn more about Laciana, and Galbatorix's observations had only intrigued her more.

Elva and Solembum had been interested in both pieces of information, but not as much as the others.

Thorn and Saphira had not shown much of a reaction to this, as Saphira had pointed out, if they were back in time, and the greatest concern of these Riders was not Galbatorix, then of course he had to be young, and his dragon, alive.

The time-travelers now headed across the field towards the two elder Riders, who stood with their dragons, talking to Oromis and two other younger Riders.

They had already seen Vrael's white dragon, Umaroth, and Glaedr, but the other three were unfamiliar.

Laciana's dragon was an aquamarine color, with silver on the tips of each of her scales. The group had never seen anything like it before, so they were astonished.

The other two dragons were smaller, one was a sky blue color, and the other a deep scarlet.

Vrael turned to the group. "There you are. This is Brom, and his dragon Saphira, and Morzan, and his dragon, Ikorol. They are both learning from Oromis and Glaedr. And this is Nir'dien, Laciana's dragon."

He then turned, and introduced the time-travelers to Brom and Morzan, so he did not see the group's reactions.

Laciana saw though, and Eragon and his circle of friends knew it. They also knew she would try to find out as much about them as possible, so they quickly let go of their emotions, and adopted an emotionless mask. At the correct time as well, for Vrael turned to the time-travelers at that moment.

Brom spoke from next to his Saphira. "Your name's Saphira too? That's interesting, I didn't think many dragons had the same name. But-"

"Brom."Oromis said gently. "We have lessons to get on with."

Brom piped down, but his eyes were filled with questions.

Morzan did not speak, but he did look curiously at the group, before following Brom and Oromis.

"Anyway, we wanted to know if you would like to be trained." Vrael said, directing his question to the three Riders.

They did not have to consult each other to know all their responses. "No." They all said in unison.

Arya hesitated, then said, "We would like to be able to practice sparring though."

"Feel free to use the sparring field at any time." Vrael responded.

"Thank you." They all became silent.

Elva was the one who broke it. "What will we do?"

Laciana looked at the girl. "Whatever you want."

There was another silence, longer than the rest.

"Shall we?" Arya said to Eragon, motioning towards the center of the field.

"Of course." The others didn't have anything better to do, so they shrugged and followed.

Vrael looked at Laciana, who shrugged. They turned, and headed towards the two Riders who were preparing to spar in the middle of the field.

* * *

**Hi everyone! I forgot who asked me to add Brom to the story, but whoever it was thank you! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I also wrote another fanfiction, it's called The Story of Vrael, so please check that out as well. Review please!:)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

News passed quickly in Doru Araeba, so everyone already knew about the strangers who had appeared on the island. Obviously, they wanted to know their talents as well, and so a crowd was forming around Eragon and Arya.

They both blocked the edges of their blades. "Ready?"Arya asked.

Eragon did not reply, instead began circling the elf. They continued in this manner, until Eragon struck, aiming at Arya's shoulder. She twisted out of the way, and jabbed at Eragon's stomach. Eragon turned, so the blade passed harmlessly through air, then feinted to the right. Arya turned in the opposite direction, and ducked as Brisingr missed her hair by mere inches.

"Not trying to kill me, are you?" She whispered, aiming to distract him. He simply smiled, and lunged.

Again and again, they struck and parried, each attempting to win, not allowing defeat. The Riders surrounding them were awed, never had they seen such wonderful swordsmanship. Then again, they had not been involved in one of the largest wars in Alagaesia's history.

Murtagh was watching them carefully, trying his best to decipher their moves. Elva was wincing every time one of the blades hit its mark. Solembum was walking along the edges of the circle of onlookers, while Angela did not seem interested. She had, of course, seen these two people go at it hammer and tongs for months during the war.

The dragons were watching from a distance. Occasionally they would make a comment to their own respective Riders, but otherwise did not interfere.

Vrael and Laciana were observing the two Riders' every action. Vrael wanted to learn more about them, and Laciana was calculating the easiest way to defeat each of them.

She was spotting flaws, that could prove to be fatal if she fought them. She wouldn't tell them, of course. She wasn't their teacher. She remembered observing Vrael the same way, when she had been his master, except then, the object of her gaze was told the mistakes he made. She was a little impressed at their skill, not many people so young could do many of the maneuvers they were displaying.

Finally, the two seemed to be getting tired. Much of the crowd had dispersed, due to the fact that they had lessons to return to. They had stayed far longer then should have been permitted, because their masters were also watching Eragon and Arya.

The remaining stragglers left reluctantly, but the two Riders continued their attacks, each slower then the last.

And then they stopped. They leaned on their swords in exhaustion.

Then Murtagh spoke. "Laciana-elda, will you spar with me?"

The other time-travelers had decided in their meeting that they wanted to know the abilities of the elf. Nevertheless, they all stopped. Even Angela seemed interested now.

Vrael was surprised. He knew that the boy didn't stand a chance, but how long had it been since Laciana had sparred? He had not seen her lately, perhaps she was out of practice. The more he thought, the more he began to doubt, and worry for his former master.

Umaroth shared his Riders emotions. "_And we don't even know the skill this one possesses._"

Nir'dien did not seem worried. In fact, she sat back, ready to enjoy the show.

Laciana hesitated. For a second it seemed as though she would refuse.

Then she headed to the center of the field. Murtagh and Laciana began to circle each other. The elf did not seem worried, or anxious to make a move.

Murtagh charged. The fight lasted three seconds. Literally.

In those seconds, Laciana twisted Zar'roc's hilt, disarmed Murtagh, and turned so she was positioned behind him, and her blade was at his neck.

Murtagh was shocked. So was Vrael. In fact, all the Riders and dragons on the sparring field who had turned to watch a hopefully good fight were shocked. The time-travelers were shocked, confused as to how Laciana had acted so quickly, and even more frightened at the prospect of having her for an enemy.

"H-How did you do that?" Murtagh asked, as Laciana released him.

And she laughed. The elf through back her head and laughed.

"Darling, I was on the first ship to arrive from Alalea, and at that time I was the oldest elf on it. It would be rather scary if I didn't win, don't you think?"

She turned and headed towards her dragon. Vrael turned to her.

Marveling, he said, "I've never seen you practice."

Laciana sighed and became quiet. Then, suddenly, she said, "Vrael, I practice. You just aren't awake at 3 in the morning. And by the time you're my age..." She trailed off, then continued. "By the time you're my age, you've practiced enough, and seen enough battles, and people dying, that you just can't afford to lose. Winning is just instinct now." With that, she climbed on Nir'dien, and left.

Vrael was just confused. "_Will the day ever come that I'm not surprised by her anymore?_"He asked Umaroth.

His dragon chuckled. "_Probably not. She just wouldn't be Laciana if she wasn't confusing though."_

Vrael sighed. "_True._"He then turned to Murtagh, and the rest of the time-travelers. They had bewildered looks on their faces.

"How did that happen?" Arya asked, curiously.

Vrael spread his hands."I honestly have no idea. Don't try to understand Laciana, you'll only get a headache."

He then turned around, jumped on Umaroth, and left.

"They make quite the mysterious pair, don't they?" A voice called from behind them.

They all jumped, and whirled around. Oromis was standing in front of them, with a rather amused expression on his face.

"I saw you sparring. I doubt you were expecting to be defeated that easily. Not used to it?" He directed that to Murtagh.

Murtagh seemed to be struggling within himself. "Not usually."

"Do not be discouraged. I do not think anyone alive could defeat Laciana. She is the oldest person in all of Alagaesia. She has had more training then all of you put together."

"Who trained her?" Angela asked.

Oromis smiled faintly. "If we knew that, and if they were alive and in Alagaesia, everyone would be as powerful as her. Would any dare oppose our order if they knew each and every one of us could disarm them in a matter of seconds?"

"Does no one live in Alalea anymore? And why won't she tell you who trained her?"Eragon questioned.

Oromis sighed. "If anything or anyone still lives on Alalea, our race has forgotten. Only Laciana knows, and she refuses to talk about it. And her teacher is a secret she guards more then her life. Laciana is a wise Rider, and so we trust her judgement. We do not pester her for more information then she gives us."

"And because she taught Vrael." Murtagh said, rather grumpily.

Oromis smiled a little wider. "Partly that too."

"Don't you ever want to know more about Alalea?" Elva asked.

"I believe that for whatever reason our ancestors left Alalea, they would not want us to go back. But at times, yes, I do get curious."

With that being said, the older elf walked around them, towards his students, who were waiting at the edge of the sparring field.

They could barely hear Brom and Morzan talking to and questioning Oromis about 'the strangers who were sparring'.

* * *

The time-travelers practiced sparring until the sun was beginning to set. As they were getting ready to leave, a young human boy walked up to Eragon.

"Excuse me? Would you spar with me?"

Eragon turned around. "Um...Sure. What's your name?"

"Galbatorix."Eragon froze. He didn't know whether to run as fast as possible, as far away as possible, or defeat this younger Galbatorix, here and now.

He remembered Arya warning them about him before, but he wasn't prepared to _meet_ him.

_"Don't try to kill him. We should not be changing the past, remember?" _Saphira said.

"_Right."_

Galbatorix headed towards the sparring field, and Eragon followed.

The others looked up, and Arya seeing who he was preparing to fight, mouthed 'Be careful' to him. _  
_

As Eragon blocked his sword once more, he watched Galbatorix out of the corner of his eye, making sure he did the block completely. He didn't care if this Galbatorix had his dragon, Eragon still didn't trust him.

They began circling each other, and Galbatorix made the first move. He actually wasn't as strong as Eragon was expecting, but still a competent opponent. Throughout the whole ordeal, Eragon was constantly overwhelmed to just kill Galbatorix, but he resisted.

They continued fighting each other, but in the end, Galbatorix had not the speed, strength, or training needed to defeat Eragon.

Eragon jabbed at Galbatorix's arm, then changed midway, and knocked his opponent's sword to the ground. It made a soft thump on the ground, and Galbatorix's eyes displayed his panic, though his face remained emotionless.

Eragon did not look at the fallen weapon, instead dropped his sword onto Galbatorix's neck, as the elf Vanir had done to him, long ago. He did not however, say 'Dead', as that would be rather mean.

"That was amazing!" Brom gushed. "How'd you learn to do that?"

Eragon jumped, and turned around. Morzan, Brom, and Oromis had been watching, with their dragons.

Eragon controlled his surprise, and said, "Thank you. My master taught me, a long time ago."

"Who was your master?"Brom asked.

"Umm..."Eragon looked at Arya for help.

"We're sorry, but we really can't tell you."Arya jumped in.

Brom frowned. "Why not?"

Oromis sighed, and said,"He doesn't want to say, Brom."

"Do you know?"

"No. Morzan, can you take him?"Oromis looked at Morzan.

Morzan sighed. "Fine. Let's go." He turned around, and Brom followed, still questioning him.

Oromis looked at Eragon and Arya curiously. "You don't plan on telling us anything more about you, do you?"

"No." They said in unison.

"Yet you claim I have taught you."

"What makes you think that?"Eragon asked, nervously.

"You called me Ebrithil when we first met."

It took all 150 years of self-control for Arya to restrain from slapping Eragon upside the head. _This _is why they had to be careful. What part of 'Don't tell them anything' did Eragon not understand? She heard Firnen chuckling.

"_Peace._" Her dragon said, though he didn't stop laughing.

That still didn't solve their problem, so Arya had to improvise. She grabbed Eragon's hand, and ran.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini. **

* * *

Eragon was walking to the Dragon Keep to meet Saphira. It was a couple days after the incident at the sparring field. A girl ran up to him, and he waited for her to catch her breath.

"Hello?" He said to the young girl. She stared at him in wonder, then snapped out of her reverie.

"Hello, I'm Giana. You're one of the new Riders right? How did you get here? Who trained you? Oh, and Laciana-elda wants to see you, and your friends. Where's your dragon? Can I meet him?"

It took Eragon a moment to pick apart her questions. "Yes, we can't tell you either of those, in the Dragon Keep, its a her, and perhaps. Now where is Laciana?"

"Why can't you tell me? She's in the Council meeting room in Julinka Hall. Do you know where that is? She said you would. Where are the people who came with you? Can I meet them?"

"You ask a lot of questions, don't you?"

Giana blushed. "Sorry."

Eragon smiled. "It's alright. Thank you for telling me about Laciana." Giana nodded, and walked past him.

He contacted the others with his mind, and relayed Giana's message.

Excluding the dragons, they all met up outside Julinka Hall, and then entered together.

* * *

"I see you are here. We have found a location for where this secret organization is. Please get ready, as we are leaving soon." Laciana bombarded them with an explanation as soon as the group entered, then briskly turned, and left the room.

Vrael looked up, and did not elaborate, simply said,"Yes, you should get ready." Then he returned his gaze to the maps he had been staring at previously. All around them, Council members got up, and started preparing.

Vrael held up a hand for them to stop."Laciana and I have decided we shall go alone with them." He gestured towards the time travelers, who looked rather bemused as to why there wouldn't be more Riders in their company.

There was a moment of silence, then everyone started talking at once. Angrily, the Council members protested, giving some, in Elva's opinion, rather legit reasons for there to be more people in their group. They did not say they didn't trust the time travelers, but everyone knew that was one reason.

"Silence."The room became so. Vrael continued, "Laciana and I are more then capable of handling ourselves. And they have sworn that they mean us no harm, so we do not fear them. Besides, we need their help-"

He was cut off by Rial, who said,"But it is not smart to send our leader out into danger, especially when these people obviously have no problem killing others. What if you got killed, or even captured?" There were murmurs of approval among the members.

Vrael waved this remark away,"You can always pick a new leader. But if this situation gets out of hand, we will not be able to pick their leader. And as you have stated, they seem to have no problem taking lives."

There was a burst of outrage at this, and everyone began speaking at once.

"STOP!" A burst of silver magic, that filled the dimly lit room and made everyone fall back into order. Laciana had re-entered the room, so quietly and swiftly that no one saw her. She strode forward, tossing her hair over one shoulder.

"You worry that your leader shall die, do you not? Then answer me this, why was he made your leader, if not to serve the people? Is he meant to sit on Vroengard, doing nothing, while others risk their lives?"

There was silence. "Exactly. And that being said, we must set off at once. Since you obviously don't trust our abilities, we shall take Oromis as well. But we have already wasted too much time in your stupid argument."

As she turned to leave, a Council member stirred. "You have no right to-"

Laciana whirled around, a ball of magic swirling in her hand. It illuminated her, and cast shadows on the walls, making her seem like a sorceress. "Don't I, Finove? I don't recall you making the plans for this, only starting a worthless argument, meant to get us nowhere."

The Rider's face turned red. "If you are hinting I am a traitor-"

Laciana remained calm. "I am not hinting anything, I am merely pointing out that your conversation is-"

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT!" Finove shrieked. But Laciana laughed coldly.

"_You_ say I have no right. Yet who is to administer your ruling?" As Finove spluttered, Laciana leaned forward, and whispered in his ear. "I would be a very, very bad enemy to have, elf." She repeated it in the ancient language. Finove turned pale.

She then turned to Vrael and said,"Have them come to the Dragon Keep. Nir'dien is outside. And hurry. We have less time then you think." She headed out the door.

Vrael looked at the time travelers and Oromis."Let's go."

"Um...How are we supposed to travel?" Angela asked, for Elva, Solembum, and herself. Solembum turned into a human, and a few Council members gasped. Solembum scoffed at them, then returned his attention to Vrael.

Eragon stirred,"We could split you up between all our dragons."

So that is how they went.

* * *

The wind rushed on their faces as they flew over the ocean. The land was a faint line on the horizon. But they made quick progress, and soon their eyes feasted on the lush green meadows, fields, and forests of the mainland.

Eragon marveled at the strategic placing of Vroengard. The island was not able to be seen from the mainland, unless you were in the air. And the long distance and dangerous life in the ocean made it a harder trek to make. Not many would dare to cross the ocean when they heard of the ferocious Nidhwal that inhabited the waters.

Solembum decided he hated riding dragons. Even in the first few minutes after their takeoff, he had felt queasy. He was not meant to be in the air. The werecat couldn't believe he actually agreed with those bumbling dwarves on something.

Arya contemplated her mixed-up feelings for Eragon. Of course, when he had left Alagaesia, she had felt sad, for she had lost a close friend.

Firnen snorted. _"You wouldn't eat or sleep for three days after he left. I think 'sad' is a bit of an understatement."_

"_Why is it, that whenever I think about Eragon, you interfere?"_Arya responded.

_"You always get your I'm-thinking-about-Eragon face when you do."_ He sent her a image of her with a faraway, dreamy expression.

"_You are the most irritating, interfering dragon anyone could ever have the joy to be bonded to._" Firnen chuckled.

"_I love you too, dear one._" Arya sunk back into her thoughts, and this time Firnen let her. Eragon was an amazing warrior, and if Arya had to choose anyone to back her up in a fight, it would be him. But she had also seen the gentle side of him, when he had confessed his love for her. And when they had been sparring in the war, it had gratified Arya that Eragon had seen past her beauty, seen her for who she truly was. Like Faolin had. But no, she couldn't think about that. There were too many memories, that could distract her from her current task.

"_Perhaps you should make some new memories with Eragon."_ Her dragon said gently.

Arya was excused from replying by Laciana yelling at them from behind to land. Firnen began descending slowly, then gave up trying to act mature and sped towards the ground. Saphira and Thorn did the same, and so Umaroth, Nir'dien, and Glaedr were forced as well.

As she got off, Arya noticed the lack of vegetation in the area. The air was very dry as well, so she deduced they were near the Hadarac Desert. She turned to Laciana, who was in a conversation with Nir'dien. The dragon had flown up again, to scout the are ahead of them. Arya touched the other elf's arm. "Where are we?"

Laciana was about to answer, but she stopped. Her eyes widened, and she screamed "Run!" Arya was confused. Then Laciana fell forward, Elva shrieked, and the last thing Arya saw before blacking out was a man dressed in black, standing over Laciana with a knife dripping blood.

* * *

**To My Wonderful Amazing Readers:**

**I apologize for not updating quicker. STOP. I was experiencing a horrible case of writer's block, but now I have recovered. STOP. And I would like to say, that I will update soon, for I already have another chapter started. STOP. You will not be wondering about the cheerful cliffhanger I left you at for long. STOP. However, I cannot answer any questions regarding Laciana, and whether she has survived or not. STOP. Feel free to review, though. STOP. In case you have not figured out, I am writing a telegram. STOP. Note the excessive repeating of the word, STOP. STOP. Once again sorry for the long wait, but the cursed school has started again, and I shall not be able to update as frequently as before. STOP. Please do not kill me. STOP.**

**Sincerely,**

**icesong180**

**I don't know how to end a telegram. STOP. Let's assume this is how you end it. STOP. The End. STOP. Goodbye. STOP. See you next chapter. STOP. Pineapple. STOP.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Drifting.

Yes, this is what Arya was experiencing now. Was her name Arya? The more she though about it, the more she was surprised.

She shook her head, trying to clear it. But she had no control over her body. All she saw was an endless darkness. Her eyes flickered. Someone was shaking her.

"ARYA!" Arya's eyes snapped open, and she sat up. A flood, a lifetime, 100 years of memories came back to her. She was overwhelmed for a few minutes, and her head hurt. She looked around. Angela was standing next to her, leaning over something. Arya realized that Angela had shaken her.

They were in a large room, dimly lit by a torch on either side of a metal door. The dark stones making up the chamber were scratched and worn. This place had to be many centuries old.

"Angela?" Arya was surprised how weak her voice sounded.

The witch turned. A smile lit up her face. "Good, you're alive! Now help me wake the others. We can't use magic." Even through her brisk tone, Arya could tell she was relieved. As Arya got up from the floor, she saw what exactly covered the floor of the room they were in. Bodies.

Arya almost screamed, then realized they were her friends. Arya ran to Eragon, and saw that he was just unconscious, not dead.

"Yes, they're not dead. But all of them are useless if they're not awake. We need to figure a way out from here. And the worst part, Laciana isn't here."Angela said grimly.

Arya looked up at the elf's name. She blinked back tears, as she realized what the old elf had been trying to tell her. _Run_. She had been warning them.

"Angela...I think Laciana might be dead."

"What?"Angela said straightening up. Arya explained her ordeal. A horrified expression came on Angela's face.

She muttered to herself, then stopped, and said,"Well, for now, we must try to escape from here. So we need to get them out of their present state."

They both looked at Eragon, who was stirring. Then his eyes opened. He jumped up, and reached for his sword, which wasn't there. "What-"

Angela rolled her eyes. "Oh, save the theatrics and get to work." She turned to Vrael, and shook him.

Eragon looked at Arya. Arya looked at Eragon. There was a brief uncomfortable moment when their hands were still touching, as Arya had been next to Eragon when he was unconscious. "Um..."

Arya released his hand. "We need to wake the others."

"Right." Arya watched him go to his half-brother, and sighed. She needed to stay focused right now. No romance allowed when survival was their main concern.

* * *

Gradually, everyone woke up, though Elva had a hard time. Vrael and Oromis questioned them about her, and in the end, they gave in and told them about her spell.

They also realized that they could not contact their dragons. The five Riders in the room were extremely worried. It was a rather dreadful experience knowing you had no idea what was happening to the other half of your soul.

Then Elva passed out again, so they had to revive her. The reason was that someone was being tortured not far from here. However, Elva couldn't tell who because of some sort of magic. Finally, the group got organized enough to find themselves sitting in a circle on the floor. Vrael began the conversation.

"So, let's straighten out what's going on. First, we're in a dungeon, we can't contact our dragons, and we're missing Laciana. Second-"

"You call that a first?" Elva interrupted.

Vrael seemed irritated, but Elva couldn't tell very well because of the lack of lighting. "Yes, I do. Second, we have no weapons, can't use magic-"

"Oh, I see how you're grouping things together! But why did you say our location in the 'what we're missing' category?" Elva was thoroughly enjoying this.

Vrael gritted his teeth. "Anyways," he said, putting the accent on the first syllable,"We have to stop getting off topic, so we can get out of here."

Elva shrugged. "Not necessarily. We could just bust out of here with no plan."

"That wouldn't work though." Oromis inserted.

"It's worked plenty of times for us."Elva retorted.

"STOP it." Arya said, after feeling this had gone on far too long."Vrael's right. We need to stop arguing and stay focused. Now, we don't know any way out of here except that door. So, ideas?" They thought for a while.

"We could try ramming it." Eragon offered.

"That probably wouldn't work. Whoever trapped us has been at work for a long time. They probably have thought about their prisons being secure." Angela replied.

"_Have you got a better idea?_" Solembum said. Angela sighed.

"Fine. We'll try ramming it. But with what?"

"Ourselves?"Murtagh suggested half-heartedly.

"Okay, that idea won't work." Oromis concluded. They thought some more.

"Maybe its enchanted. So you can only pass through it if you go gently. Like that gate in Inideim?" Elva said to Angela.

"Yes, it could be like that. Try it. That was a wise trick." Angela murmured.

Elva walked to the door and touched it lightly. Nothing. It was solid. She tried to push it open, but that didn't work either.

"Well that was helpful." Murtagh commented.

Elva stuck her tongue out. Murtagh did the same.

Vrael sighed. "I suppose all we can do is wait, and if they come to give us food, we can attempt to escape."

No one protested. They didn't have a better idea. As the hours passed, they lost track of time. They didn't have a window, so they couldn't tell if it was night or not. Elva fell asleep, along with Solembum in his cat form.

For the first few hours, they had talked, told legends and stories they knew. The time-travelers hadn't told much about themselves, though they did have a brief session of funny stories about their dragons when they were hatchlings. That had lightened the mood, but after a while, the tension had returned.

Gradually, their voices had ceased and all grew silent, as if the dark chamber had absorbed the energy from their bodies. Now they simply waited, as the minutes turned to hours, and nothing happened.

Then, they heard footsteps. The door creaked as it was opened. The group jumped up. Solembum woke up and hissed. He leaped at the masked man who brought their trays. There was a crash, and Elva woke with a start, as she felt the man briefly hurt, then fall unconscious.

"Not very smart way to enter now, was it." Eragon commented.

All of them had jumped and rushed at the man before he could cry out. Murtagh had gotten there first, and banged the man's head on the stone walls. They took a minute to grab something from the trays and drink water, then hurried out the door.

They walked along the hallways, stealthily, not making a sound. The halls were lit better then there room had been, so they did not constantly crash into things. The guards in the dungeon were very spaced out, so there was no time the group had to face more then two or three soldiers at a time.

After what seemed like forever, they found stairs. The group crept up them, and saw a window. The sun's early rays were visible, behind a thin layer of clouds. Now was a good time to escape, for the cloud cover would prevent them from being seen. If what they saw was true, they had been in the dungeon the whole night.

Arya, who was leading, briefly paused at the window, and looked at the world outside. Nature had yet to wake up, but a few birds could be heard. She stood for a few seconds, then hurried up the second set of stairs.

Not many people were awake at this time in the castle, but they still remained cautious. They looked around for their weapons, and found them in a room not far away. They exited, and decided to find out as much as they could about this place.

They searched many rooms, and as they prepared to walk around the corridor, they almost ran straight into some guards.

One guard turned in their direction, and saw them. He was a dwarf, just like the other guards around him. His eyes widened, and he prepared to warn the others, but never got to say the words. Vrael reached over and knocked him on the head with the hilt of his sword. He fell to the floor.

The other dwarves turned, but Solembum and Angela had already run behind them. They joined their comrade on the floor. Then two more guards heard the noises, and soon many more men joined them. Soon, there were eight guards total, the exact number of people in their group. They had the advantage of height, as the dwarves only came o their waists.

"Everyone, take a guard!" Arya yelled, and they all attacked one dwarf.

The neat organized fight plan Arya had made in her head failed as soon as Vrael defeated the first guard. Then the guards began attacking anyone in sight, and so it took a while to subdue them, but they managed. The group continued on their way.

Finally, they reached a room with humongous doors. Arya quietly opened one slightly, and peaked inside. No one was there, but there was a table with notes spilled across it. She gestured to the others, and they all slipped inside. As they walked to the center of the room with their weapons raised, they noticed the notes on the desk.

Angela gasped. The plans were based on the things the Riders had said during their meeting. She turned to Vrael, who looked dismayed, but nodded.

"We have a traitor." He said grimly.

"Indeed, Master Vrael. And welcome my dear _time-travelers_."The mocking, familiar sound sent a shiver down Arya's spine. They all knew that voice.

* * *

**Review please!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights got to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

They all whirled around to face the voice, but there was no one there.

"Here, my darlings." This time it came from the other corner. They all looked around frantically, trying to pinpoint their new enemies location.

This continued, and the voice came closer and closer.

A high pitched laughter rung out across the room. Then a voice next to Vrael's ear said, "You know, you're taking longer then I expected, _Master_." Vrael turned around desperately, but saw his friends tied up and unconscious, also by the hand of a batch of dwarves. Then he turned again to see who spoke. He knew, but he had to confirm it.

And so, the last thing the leader of the Rider's saw before he blacked out was the smiling face of a blonde-haired human girl who was called Rial.

* * *

Soft voices spoke instructions in the language of the dwarves. That was what Angela heard when she came to. She cursed in her head. If she had agreed to those extra lessons her master, Tenga, had offered to teach her long ago, she would be able to understand what was going on right now. Then again, she hadn't been very anxious to take extra lessons with him after that first one.

Her master had knocked her out to train her to be able to think quickly after being unconscious. It was_ not_ an experience she wanted to go through again. But it helped in some cases, like this one.

The group was tied to together in a rather complex knot, but not one Angela couldn't figure out given a little time. They were all tied in a circle. _That's so cliche._ Angela thought, but didn't say anything.

Angela strained her ears to hear what Rial answered the dwarves with. Unfortunately, the traitor also spoke in dwarvish, so she was not understandable.

Angela honestly hadn't believed that Rial could have the guts to start a rebellion. She had seemed like one of the weak by standing Council members, who had simply been assigned to fill up he space.

But she was surprised. And dismayed, a little. They still didn't know where Laciana was. The witch was curious to learn more about the strange elf who knew so much. Goodness, Angela really needed to concentrate right now.

Angela peeked out from under her eyelashes. She could not get a full view of the room. She risked lifting her head. One of the dwarves noticed.

"Hirnavegtof! Hirnavegtof!" He yelled. It probably meant something like 'She's awake' in their language. Angela felt someone, Eragon, stir beside her.

He turned to her. "Are you okay?" he whispered.

"Yes." She whispered back.

"We were waiting for you to wake up." Angela was surprised. She was the last to wake up? Angela twisted to see the others, all looking at her with fearful yet relieved expressions. Elva managed a small smile.

Then Rial spoke.

* * *

"Well, you are finally awake! I've been waiting a while for this moment."

"Where is Laciana?" Arya asked, she thought Laciana was dead, but she wanted to know for sure.

Rial laughed. "Oh her. Yes, she's in the dungeons right now. But don't worry about her. You should be worrying about yourselves."

They all sighed in relief, despite the warning at the end of Rial's words.

Rial frowned. "You really shouldn't be happy. You don't even know where your dragons are."

"Where's yours?" Elva shot back.

Rial appraised the girl silently. "What makes you think I'd tell you?"

Elva just glared at the Rider.

"Rial, why are you doing this? Its pointless murder-" Vrael said, but was cut off by Rial.

"Don't say ANYTHING! You're running Alagaesia all wrong, you won't even listen to my suggestions-" Rial shrieked, but _she_ was cut off by Oromis.

"Because mass-murder isn't the answer to Urgal attacks!" He exclaimed.

Rial rounded on him, but one of the dwarves said something, much too fast for the group to understand.

Rial spoke to the dwarf for a while, who was wearing a purple veil. After a while, Rial visibly calmed.

She turned back to Vrael, Oromis, and the time-travelers.

Oromis looked at her wearily, then said, "What are you going to do?"

She smiled, not in a kind way, but a oh-I'm-going-to-have-fun-torturing-you way. "It's a surprise. But you'll find out. And I can promise you, you won't like it."

As Rial walked past them to leave, Eragon called out to her. "You were tricked into letting us keep our story to ourselves. What makes you think you can run Alagaesia?"

Rial paused, then she leisurely walked to Eragon's side. She bent down, and lifted his chin with a finger. Eragon stared back at her determinedly.

"Because, if you told us your story, then how could I have fun torturing it out of you?" She said softly.

She straightened. "And Az Sweldn rak Anhuin have told me much, much about you in particular, _Shadeslayer_."

Rial left the time-travelers with a daunting feeling, but their ordeal was not complete yet. Vrael and Oromis were just confused.

One of the members of the Dwarf clan came forward, and lifted his veil."Remember me?"

Eragon gasped. It was Vermund, the very clan chief who had caused his clan to be exiled.

Then Vermund knocked him out, and all was black.

* * *

Arya woke once again to a throbbing head in a dungeon. _This scene is getting all too familiar._

As she picked herself off the ground, she saw there was someone else in the shadows of the corner of the room.

"Hello?" Arya went to draw her sword, but it had been taken again.

The stranger pushed herself off the wall, and Arya saw it was not a stranger at all.

"Laciana!" She cried and rushed towards the elf, enveloping her in a hug, something she did not normally do.

Laciana looked at Arya with amusement as she withdrew. "You thought I was dead, did you not?"

"Yes." Arya said. "Where have you been? Were you the person Elva sensed being tortured?"

Laciana looked over Arya's shoulder to the others, who were still lying on the ground, but stirring.

"I will tell you when everyone is awake." So they got to work waking everyone again.

When they were all comfortably situated, or as comfortably as possible in a dungeon, Laciana began her tale.

"They captured me before all of you, so I was brought to Rial directly. Then they issued for my torture, which I prefer not to describe. So yes, Elva did sense my pain. And when you went to Rial, they brought me back in here."

"Not much happened to you." Murtagh pointed out.

Laciana simply shrugged. "I can use magic though, but very simple spells. I haven't completely overpowered their block yet."

"So now we need to escape, again." Angela said.

"Yes. And they installed a small door through which to give food. Wouldn't want another captive escaping. Though Rial was reluctant to use her resources for that. She's a determined girl, but not smart enough to plan a rebellion. She's lucky she has those dwarves with her."

"_So how will we escape now?_" Solembum asked, back in his cat form.

"We will wait." Laciana replied.

"For what?" Elva asked.

"For when I can defeat this irritating block for magic." Laciana closed her eyes and leaned on the wall.

"That could take forever!" Murtagh cried. Eragon silently agreed, though he didn't say.

Laciana didn't open her eyes. "But we do not have forever. So it must be done soon."

Murtagh just let it go. He really wasn't in the mood for another losing argument.

"Why did Rial call you Shadeslayer? And how do you know that clan chief?" Oromis asked the very question Arya wished he hadn't.

Arya contacted Eragon through his mind. "_Do __**not**__ say anything valuable to __**either**__ of them!_"

Eragon winced, then under Arya's fearsome glare, said, "Because I've killed a Shade. And...I got into a spat with him a few years back."

Angela scoffed. If fifty was a _few_ now, what was long ago? She was about to voice this question, but was stopped by yet another interrogation session with Vrael and Oromis, where about five unimportant things were revealed, though it lasted for more then an a couple hours.

They all took part in the conversation, as they still didn't completely trust Eragon to hold his silence. They were talking about some random topic, when suddenly Laciana's eyes snapped open, and she let out a quick laugh.

Her eyes glittering, she turned to them, and said, "I have it. We can all use magic, but we don't have much time, so hurry! Rial has spells to let her know when her defenses have been breached." Laciana illuminated the room with yet another silver fireball, which she threw at the door.

It couldn't have been fire, Murtagh later thought, because the door didn't burn, simply melted away into nothingness. Though at that time, he didn't think of anything but running.

When they reached the window on the stairs, Laciana glanced outside and used a spell to find their weapons. When they reached the top of the stairs, they found them laid in a line, neatly. There were no servants around here, but an alarm bell was ringing.

Laciana cursed under her breath, but she continued on. At the door to where they had been captured appeared, she hesitated. They all ran past her, but turned around.

"Come on!" Murtagh urged.

"I-"

"There's no time! We'll come back for it later!" Arya said.

Laciana had a stubborn expression on her face. Behind Murtagh, Vrael groaned.

"It's too dangerous!" Vrael whispered.

"We came here with a mission, Vrael. We need to complete it."

At Vrael's desperate expression, Laciana's face softened. "I will survive, do not worry. Now go!"

"We're not leaving you!" Eragon said.

"Yes, you are. The dragons are waiting outside." With that, Laciana turned and slipped through the small gap in the door.

That got their attention. "Why can't we sense them?" Eragon asked Vrael.

"Probably the spells in this place. But let's go!"

"Laciana-" Oromis started.

"Would want us to leave." Vrael said firmly, though he didn't look pleased.

They all hurried, trying to find the way to the exit. Everything was okay, until they ran into some guards.

They all skidded to a halt, and Rial pushed her way to the front. She didn't look happy.

"You escaped. That idiot Laciana." Then Rial calmed. "But I decided you're not even worth the effort, so my lovely dwarven guards here have been instructed to let no one of your company survive." She smiled. "Good luck!" She turned, and the guards immediately made a path for her. Then there was a silence, as the two groups gazed at each other.

Then Vermund shouted. "For Anhuin!" And they charged.


	13. Chapter 13

The dwarves rushed at them. They were not prepared very well, as they didn't have much time. So they attacked all the guards they could, and hoped for the best.

Elva used her voice to subdue the dwarves. She comfortably leaned on the walls, and began to speak. Many guards stopped, entranced and listened to what she was saying. If dwarves hadn't been trying to kill him at the moment, Eragon was sure he would have thrown down Brisingr and surrendered to Elva's voice. Eragon managed to restrain himself, as did the others.

Elva, in turn, had no idea what she was talking about. She was skipping from one topic to the next, reminding the dwarves of their homes, families, and wealth. Though many were listening to her, many were not. So Arya came up from behind the ignorant dwarves and stabbed them. And like a spider, Elva wove a web of words to stop another group of the guards. The elf and the witch-child worked in harmony, and everything worked until Elva passed out from a dwarf getting his arm cut off.

Arya jumped in front of the child, and defended her from the dwarves threatening to overtake them both.

They would have lost, had they been unable to use magic. Using some quick spells, Angela, Vrael and Oromis worked to kill the guards with magic, while Eragon and Murtagh fought with their swords. Slowly, the dwarves began to fall back, and their numbers decreased. It seemed like they finally had a chance of escaping.

Then dozens of dwarves poured out of the corridor behind them. They were trapped, but they still fought.

"Face it, Riders. You can't win every fight." Rial taunted them, though they couldn't see her. Her words really didn't help them fight, so they tuned them out as best they could.

Suddenly, Rial stopped. Between the fighting, Eragon saw glimpses of her talking furiously to a dwarf. He smiled. It seemed Rial had realized Laciana was not with them.

"How could you be so careless? She could be anywhere by now! Do you think _they_ matter more then killing her? She could kill you right now, and you wouldn't even realize it. You don't know what she's capable of!"

The dwarf mumbled something back. "Find her! Now! I want her dead!" Rial shrieked. The dwarf glared, but called to a few of his fellow clan members, and they scampered off in search of the elf.

Rial also turned and left the fight. She was muttering to herself, but what Eragon could not hear, for a dwarf slammed his shield into Eragon's gut at that moment.

"Oof!" Eragon turned back to the fight. The group had the advantage of height, but the dwarves made up of what they lacked with their ferociousness.

Then, when all seemed lost, Laciana burst out of the crowd of dwarves behind them, who all keeled over, dead.

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" She yelled at them, while twirling her blade. The elf was wonderful in action. Dwarves all around her fell over as she stabbed and parried.

The group pressed onward with renewed strength. Since Rial was gone, and Vermund not present, the dwarves had no leader. They began to attack randomly, with no objective and no plan. This made it rather easier to escape.

Eragon felt someone touch his mind, and he immediately put up his defenses. He thought he had succeeded, but then Laciana's voice spoke in his mind.

"_You need to focus more, put more power and thought into your mental defenses. If there is even a slight break in concentration, your enemy can slip past. Anyway, we can't kill all of these dwarves. There are far too many. So when I tell you, exit through this door."_ Laciana sent a picture of a door a little ways to the right of where Eragon currently was."_I've checked it, and there's no one behind it. Our dragons are waiting outside. Remember, only when I tell you." _Her voice faded from his mind.

They continued fighting for a while, then Laciana yelled,"Now!".

Their whole group ran to the door. The dwarves were so surprised they simply stood, dumbfounded. They were startled out of their reverie by the door slamming. They raced to the door to find their victims, fearful of what Rial and Vermund would do to them. But no matter how long they searched, all they found was an empty field of wheat, swaying in the breeze. Had they looked up, they would have seen five colorful golden dots, fading into the clouds. But they didn't, and they were severely punished for failing in their task.

* * *

When the Riders, Angela, Solembum and Elva had gone through the door, they had found their dragons sitting on the grass. The dragons had not asked questions, only waited for their Riders to get on their backs, along with Angela, Solembum and Elva in some cases, and took off.

The Riders were more then relieved to find their dragons safe, and vice-versa. They filled each other in on what had happened when they were separated.

Rial and Vermund hadn't even tried to capture the dragons. They had taken the Riders, and left quietly in the night, leaving the dragons to fly over the land desperately in a pointless search. Since then, the dragons had wandered, and finally found the castle they were being held in. They had wrenched the memory from the guard at the castle doors, and had tried to find an opening to get their Riders. Then Laciana had contacted them, and told them to fly to the door they had escaped from.

When this was said, Eragon said,"When did you do that?"

"While we were fighting." She replied, having to yell a little because of the wind and the speed they were going at.

Then the whole group delved into their own thoughts about the secret conspiracy whose leaders had at last been revealed. Laciana flew ahead on her dragon Nir'dien, scouting for dangers and a safe place to stay for the night.

They flew on for hours upon hours, never stopping, until Laciana told them to land near a cave. Vrael started a fire quickly using magic inside the cave.

Then a thought struck Murtagh. "We could have escaped quicker if we had used the true name of the ancient language to get past the spell."

Just as Eragon began to think what an idiot he was, Laciana snorted. "If it were that easy, we would have been in Vroengard already. Nay, Rial knows that much. She may not be very strong, but she has a clever mind. She purposely chose that castle for her headquarters."

Curiosity invoked, Arya asked,"Would this be the name you used to defeat...him?"

Eragon nodded. Then he asked,"Did you try it? And what's so special about that location?"

Laciana sighed. "Yes, I tried it. Do you know what castle we were in?"

Everyone but Vrael shook their heads. Vrael had an expression of dawning comprehension."So it wouldn't work even after all these years have passed from the changing?"

"No."

"That's... interesting."

Laciana shrugged. "Anyway, the castle was called Se Haria Ja, which was a type of flower in Alalea. One of the Grey Folk came to Alalea and saw it. Se Haria Ja was named for its unique architecture, which was based on the flower. It was once one of the most beautiful buildings in all of Alagaesia. But the Grey Folk have died out and elves have long since deserted and forgotten it. It used to be our main weapons base during Du Fyrn Skulblaka, until the dragons found it. They destroyed all the weapons there, and we abandoned it."

"But why couldn't you use the true name of the ancient language to escape?" Elva asked.

Angela tutted."I think she's about to explain that."

Laciana smiled, and continued. "Se Haria Ja was built so long ago and the spells cast upon it so ancient, that the true name does not work on them. The name has changed, just as any other creature's true name can change. It could change again, years from now, and you would have to discover it all over again."

"When Se Haria Ja was built, the ancient language had a different name the Grey Folk had first made for it. Then something must have happened, and the name changed. Now the words had more power; you could do more things with it. But the spells casted on Se Haria Ja had been made with the old language's name, and they have remained that way since. No one has been able to fix the spells to depend on this new language."

"It might be better that way, because it's more secure." Arya pointed out.

"Yes, but that's no help to us, is it." Oromis said.

"_Then how did you get past the block?_"Solembum asked Laciana.

"I used counter spells for the magic, and combined them with name of what the ancient language was before." They became silent, and simply watched the stars in peace. No one bothered to ask how Laciana knew the name of the old language.

Finally Arya stirred. "We should go to sleep now, if we want to reach Vroengard in the morning. They will be rather disappointed to find that we secured no plans on Rial and Vermund's plans."

Laciana smiled mischievously. "It wasn't a complete waste." From inside her cloak, the elf drew out a stack of scrolls and papers. "The plans that were laid out on Rial's table." She said, her eyes sparkling.

They all laughed, and rejoiced that they would finally be able to put an end to Rial's plans. After all these days, they were glad to have something to be happy about.

Arya volunteered to take first watch, and they all settled down to sleep. Having the most peaceful night they had had since they arrived.

* * *

**Thank you to TsuinRasengan for alerting me to the fact that Murtagh and Eragon knew the name of the ancient language.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Arya stretched. She had been guarding for only a few minutes, but she was already bored. Angela, Elva, Murtagh, Eragon, Solembum, and the dragons were asleep. The elves were in the trance-like state her race rested in. Arya turned her thoughts to Eragon.

She really didn't know what to make of him. When they had first met so many years ago, she had been sure she understood him. But every action he took, every word he said only made her more confused. Arya groaned, and flopped back onto the ground. She stared at the stars, twinkling above her.

Arya remembered how she had felt when Eragon had left Alagaesia. The thought of never seeing him again had almost destroyed her, had it not been for Firnen and her duty. So she had masked her pain, gone along with her life. Although she was sure the other elves in her house and the Council wanted her to marry, she never did. She couldn't. Whenever her thoughts went that way, she immediately thought of Eragon, and that was too painful.

And now he was back. Which made Arya even less sure of herself. Eragon had confessed his love for her, but she had never reciprocated his feelings. At least she thought. Then they had exchanged true names, but Arya had only gone on instinct then. She didn't really know why she had done it, only that it was the right thing to do.

She hadn't even consulted her dragon, which was rather surprising. Then again, Firnen had been rather, ah, busy with Saphira.

Arya heard a rustling from behind her. The elf sprang up, and whirled around, blade ready, before finding it was Eragon. She sighed in relief, and was about to put her sword down, but Eragon grinned. This unnerved her. He also did not replace his weapon, which had been in his hands when she turned.

His conscience pressed against her mind, and he said,"_Spar with me?__"_

Arya smiled, and as quietly as they could, the began the fiery dance they knew so well. Finally, only when they grew so tired their very bones hurt, and their swords grew leaden in their hands did they stop.

Arya and Eragon collapsed on the ground. They simply lay in silence, looking at the heavens before Arya spoke.

"You should get some sleep." Sh said quietly.

"As should you." Arya noted how his tone had changed since the first time they met, and even since when he left Alagaesia. _Of course it has, it's been fifty years!_ She told herself.

"Arya?" Eragon asked. Arya had not said anything for a while.

"Yes?"

"I missed you." This took the elf by surprise. It was so unexpected, yet it was all Arya could do so as not to smile.

"I missed you too." Eragon sat up. Arya copied him.

Eragon's face was partially lit in the moonlight, but Arya could still see him because of her enhanced elven sight. He turned his face to Arya.

"I still love you." He said. Arya hesitated, and looked down. She didn't know how she felt. She knew there was _something_ between them.

Arya looked up, and saw Eragon looking at her, his eyes filled with sadness. At that moment, Arya didn't care that they would have to go to different lands when they got back to their time. She didn't care what others would think. She knew that Eragon was made for her, and nothing or no one could change that.

The elf pulled Eragon's face towards her and captured his lips with hers. When they pulled apart, the elf clung to Eragon. Arya could go on like that forever without letting go, because she was afraid that if she did, this wonderful dream would end. That everything would go back to the way it was before, and she would lose Eragon.

A single tear made its way down her cheek. Eragon immediately began comforting her, and Arya wondered why she had been so reluctant to love him before. He actually cared for her, and Arya would gladly take a hundred years of pain and torture if it meant she could be with him.

After what seemed like a few seconds, but was probably a couple hours, Arya pulled away.

Eragon looked at her lovingly, as he had used to when he thought she wasn't paying attention. She had missed that look when he left Alagaesia.

"You should sleep." She whispered.

Eragon let out a brief laugh. "Arya, you had the first watch. _You_ should be the one sleeping. I'll take the next watch."

"But-" Arya started, but Eragon was clearly not taking 'no' for an answer. He actually had the nerve to pick her up and deposit her next to Firnen.

Arya would have gotten back up, but she was simply too exhausted. The last thing she saw before she fell 'asleep' was her lover's smiling face.

* * *

The sun was already up when Eragon woke the others. Elva was still not happy with having to wake up. The only way she stopped complaining was when Laciana offered for Elva to fly with her on Nir'dien when they went back to Vroengard.

So here they were, flying to Doru Araeba. Most of the journey in the air was uneventful. But when they came down to rest at night, they decided to look at the scrolls Laciana had taken.

"These plans are so...intricate." Arya breathed.

"Yes, we must consider them well before attempting anything." Oromis said.

"Maybe we could..."And so it went, on and on, day after day. Each night, they would try to make up ways to fight against Rial and Vermund.

* * *

Finally, they reached the sea. Laciana contacted everyone with her mind.

_"We can stay the night on the edge of the forest."_ So they did.

Vrael had the first watch, and he was drawing on the sand with his sword when he heard a sound. Immediately, he turned towards the noise, weapon at the ready, eyes searching the thick cluster of trees for any sign of movement. All was still.

But Vrael was not the leader of the Riders for nothing. He had had years of training, in every topic, from botany to woodworking. And he knew that no matter the slightest noise, in a forest the best thing to do is rouse all the company and be prepared for anything. When everyone had risen, they looked around.

Angela spotted the enemy just a second before he would have chopped off Arya's head.

"Duck!" She screamed, and stabbed at the foe. The creature hissed in anger or pain, they could not tell. As they all whirled towards Arya, there was another rustle from behind Solembum, who was in his cat form.

They all split up, looking either way, and were filled with dread at the sight before them.

For emerging from the shadows, were four pairs of bright red eyes, followed by the bodies of not one, but _two_ Shades.

* * *

**There's a nice cliffhanger for you. Cause I know how much you love them. XD And again I'm sorry for late updating. I'm not even going to make promises about the next chapter. And this chapter isn't very long either, so sorry about that. So anyway, please review!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

**This chapter was partially written by UltimatumTM.**

**I can not confirm if any more articles will be written by UltimatumTM (Yes, I'm writing this A/N), since I offered to help out icesong180 with her continued plot, therefore, I hope this will live up to your expectations. My bit starts at about Elva's POV. And yes... ExA for you guys, since it was a slow update, as a small treat. Obviously, in which, will be expanded upon in later chapters.**

* * *

As the Shades advanced, Angela tried desperately to think of a plan. She had no idea what to do, and opening her mind to the others to communicate could be very dangerous.

Everyone stood in a circle, awaiting the Shades. Even Elva drew her small knife. Then, the shadow of their dragons drew over them. The Shades glanced up in horror. They turned and fled, deep into the woods.

Eragon and Murtagh were about to sprint after them, but Laciana held them back. In the dim light of the moon, they could see that her expression was weary.

"Leave them." She said.

"But we can take them!" Murtagh protested.

Laciana turned to him. "Really? Can you take two 400 year old Shades, who have an army of Ra'zac to back them up?" Her tone was harsh, and filled with hatred.

"They have-" As Murtagh's tone went from energetic to bewildered, Vrael spoke up in shock.

"How could they still be alive?"He said quietly.

"Because no one has defeated them." Laciana said flatly.

Angela cleared her throat. "The rest of us are really confused, you know."

Elva could have sworn she saw Laciana roll her eyes.

"When Vrael and I were...traveling, for lack of a better word, we chanced upon the two Shades. They are the oldest in the land, and extremely hard to defeat, for they travel together. They work together. And anyone they wish to kill, the do so together. They are not dumb creatures. They know when to retreat, when to attack, and when to join or betray someone for their own uses."

"So, how do you know they have Ra'zac with them?" Eragon questioned.

This time Laciana definitely did roll her eyes."You have to talk less and listen more, boy."

She turned and with a wave of her hand unpacked everything they needed for the night.

"Get some sleep. We leave at first light. I will watch."

With that, she sat down, and everyone settled down for the night.

* * *

Elva groaned, and rolled over. "Wake up, Elva! We were supposed to leave ten minutes ago!" Angela yelled, for the umpteenth time.

Elva's eyes remained stubbornly closed. Angela sighed. The others looked over at her.

"Is she up yet?"Oromis asked, a playful glint in his eyes. Honestly, Angela found it hard to believe the old elf could ever be playful.

"No." Angela replied, her hands on her hips. She was very irritated. And she knew Elva enjoyed doing this because she did it every work day in the herbalist's shop.

Solembum jumped onto Elva's sleeping form. He batted at a strand of her hair. "_She is most definitely asleep._" He said.

Oromis grinned. "I have an idea."

Vrael groaned. "Everyone within a five-mile radius of here should beware." He muttered under his breath.

Eragon let out a quick laugh. Arya sighed. "Elva just get up."

"Fine." Elva didn't move.

"Elva?" Arya asked tentatively.

"Alright!" Elva let out a curse and sprang up.

Murtagh stared blankly. "How did she learn _that_?"

"I'm older than I look you blockhead." Elva snapped.

All the time travelers looked at Angela.

"_You know, it's as though you've marked her as someone who has lived with you._" Solembum said.

"Oh, shut up." Angela retorted. Oromis stifled a laugh, then said,"We should get going."

They all turned to the dragons they were riding. Elva would be riding on Nir'dien, as promised.

* * *

As they glided over the sea, a thought struck Elva.

"What _would_ Oromis-elda have done to me had I not woken up?"

Laciana snickered. "You should ask Vrael." When pestered for information, she refused to say more, so Elva made a mental note to ask Vrael later.

Elva's attention turned from the elf to the sea under them. The sunlight glinted off it, making it even more majestic. Elva had only seen the sea once or twice in her travels with Angela. It still took her breath away. Rays of sunlight seemed to vibrate and reverberate with life, as if competing with the dragon's gem-like scales.

* * *

Their trip back to Vroengard was quiet and sullen. The previous few days of events were enough to drink in, much less idle talk.

Eragon gave a glance at Arya, who sat upon Firnen, unprecedented, much like a royal figure, which elicited a small chuckle from himself. He had learned that Arya would keep her demeanour in any situation.

It was only a few moments later, when he started to comprehend his vision, did he see that Arya was looking back at him. A small quirk threatening to appear at the corner of her mouth. He quickly passed her figure, attempting to convey the fact that he was only taking in his surroundings. That provoked a chuckling grumble from Saphira.

_Little one, I still do not understand why you have so much trouble letting her know how you feel. I see the way you look at her! Don't deny it._

Eragon coughed. _Please Saphira, not again. _However, his cheeks had already started to flame. Which Saphira responded to with a 20 foot flame, shooting out from her nostrils.

A few hours later, Eragon saw the very edge of Vroengard, just as the sun retired on the horizon, kissing the sky goodbye. A promise that it will be back the next day.

* * *

Eragon gave Saphira a small scratch of appreciation under her chin, before departing from Laciana, Oromis and Vrael, who needed to convey their news about Rial to the council. Eragon suggested that they should dine together at his room, which seemed to have raised everybody's spirits.

They talked of old stories, new stories and experiences that they would not share with any others then their close-knit-bond-of-a-group. Murtagh was the first to excuse himself from the feast, followed by Angela, Solembum and Elva, which left Arya and himself.

He was surprised to find that Arya had not left, as the others did; however, had been quite content to talk about this and that. Saphira and Firnen had "conveniently" left, and when he had asked why they were leaving, he only got a grumbling chuckle and some kind of glint in both of their eyes. Obviously, there was something in store for him, he had no idea about.

This seemed to have surprised Arya as well.

"I don't know what's up with them," replied Eragon, in which, he only received a small nod and a wan smile.

The smile stirred a suppressed feeling and he found himself unable to look at Arya directly. Her emerald-green eyes, which displayed so much depth and understanding tore him apart. Her gaze was the only thing that could tear apart all his defences, his secrets, and... his love.

Yet, when he had offered it to her, she had not accepted. Rather brushed him aside as if he were insignificant. Just the thought of it truly crushed his heart.

He turned and took a real good look at who she really was. Looking past the usual beauty which he saw, he began to understand the reasons for her rejections against him. Understanding her, as a person, instead of just being an exotic beautiful female elf. The hardships that she had endured and the close relatives that she had, before they were agonizingly torn away. Truth dawned on himself and sympathy and compassion clustered around his heart. His view of her had not changed in that brief span. Rather, it was like, more candle lights had been lit in a dark room over the whole image of her.

Arya coughed. Eragon, however, was still oblivous, wrapped around his thoughts, while gazing somewhere beyond Arya's shapely figure.

Seeing that it had not worked, she cleared her throat, and engaged eye contact with Eragon's chocolate-pudding eyes. Eragon reddened at this intimate contact. Her gaze was now slightly unnerving as it gently attempted to pry open his thoughts, to have looked at her in such way. He turned purplish-red and hugged his knees closer to himself, in an attempt to prevent himself from explaining.

"Eragon, what is it?", queried Arya.

Eragon quickly came up with a decision in his mind, and asked in the ancient language, "_Do you trust me?_".

Arya seemed quite taken aback by the sudden change of the conversation, however her reply was gratifyingly brief, "_Yes, I do_".

Breathing a sigh of relief and tension, he gently probed her mind, in which she allowed him to gain access to. The strains of wild music, which previously had been oddly attractive, held no hold over him, for what it was that he was about to show her held much greater importance.

He hesitantly poured his thoughts and his infatuation in trickling tendrils of thoughts, in which, if Arya became angry, he could pull out on moment's notice. He sensed an initial burst of surprise, and felt a snatch of a feeling, which threw him back in utter astonishment.

Did I just... see... what I just saw? That one snatch. One snatch of thought. Changed everything.

In that brief moment. In the tiniest moment in which, Arya had not safe-guarded her thoughts from him, he had felt a surge of warmth and love. The memory of the experience was sealed and stamped in his mind. He had never thought that his very presence had affected so much of her.

Returning back to focus, he watched Arya silently with awe and utter surprise. She was attempting to hide behind her hair, which was obviously folly because of their proximity.

"Why?", asked Eragon. Barely above a whisper.

There was no answer, which seemed to puzzle and anger Eragon. _Why had she hidden her feelings from me? If she had known that I..._

In a single fluid motion, Arya had cupped Eragon's face with her hands and engulfed his lips.

Eragon groaned as Arya's lips caressed his. He loved the soft texture, the softness and absolute love, which emanated from their contact. He was unsure with what he should do with his hands, for he was scared that his actions might drive Arya away from him.

Slowly, Arya extricated herself from him and he could see that she was chuckling and the weight that she had seemed to be carrying had disappeared. _So that's why she had been so hesitant._

His feelings blossomed for her. What once had been reserved, restricted and naively thrown away, burst from within him. In the fury of his feelings, he had pushed Arya on her shoulders onto his cot, which had given her a small panic.

Eragon collapsed to the ground in complete laughter. Never in his life had he ever heard Arya cry out. In.. such a way. It had sounded raw and uncontrolled, and were similarly equal to some women in the Varden that he had heard yelp when they were surprised. Tears poured down his eyes uncontrollably as he shook rolling over the floor.

He had caught the a lasting glimpse of Arya's embarrassed face and slight anger before a shout of alarm... As... _What's happening? _And the lights... faded out.

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**AND! I hope that you enjoyed this chapter *hehe let me know if you thought the ending... was a bit...*, things will start building and even though my writing technique/style would be different compared to icesong180, I really would appreciate, as well as icesong, to receive a few reviews about both of our performance for this chapter.**

**If you guys have questions or need help with something, just PM me through here:**

** ~ultimatumtm**

**Hopefully, nothing too hard for you guys... right?**

**Anyways.**

**Peace, out. UltimatumTM**

* * *

**Hi everyone! icesong here, i'm sooooo sorry i havent updated in so long. ill be updating around once or twice a month. i know, i know, youre going to say, "What happened to having a new chapter every 3 days?" **

**its just that im not as into inheritance cycle anymore. I'm sorry if that disappoints you, but dont worry, ill still finish this fanfic. and UltimatumTM will help write some chapters too.(i hope you liked this awesome chapter he wrote!) one way or another, you'll get your ending. :) **

**til next chapter, icesong180**


	16. Chapter 16

**I do not own Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Eragon woke to a throbbing headache. He tentatively reached up and touched the back of his head. There was a slight bump, and as he gently pressed it, he winced.

"Careful." Arya's voice rang out in the large room.

Eragon looked around. The room had granite walls, and white pillars supported the building. A few elves and humans bustled about, pushing carts loaded with vials and pastes. Eragon suspected they were herbal remedies.

"Where..." His voice was hoarse, and it was painful to even whisper. He gestured helplessly at the room.

"The infirmary. You were rather injured after the, ah, accident." Arya blushed slightly at that. Eragon wondered why.

He observed the elf more carefully. There were faint circles under her eyes, although her body still pulsed strongly with magic.

"What...What happened?" He managed to get out.

Arya sighed, and leaned back. "What do you remember?"

"Just seeing you embarrassed, and then blacking out."

Arya shifted. "Oh...well, yes, you did black out. Murtagh was chasing Elva, because she jumped on him to wake him up, and by accident he stepped on Solembum, who was sleeping. So Solembum got angry and started chasing Murtagh, and Murtagh apologized, but Solembum wouldn't listen, and he attacked. They were destroying the sitting room with swords, and Elva was trying to stop them. And Murtagh was trying to stop, but Solembum could have killed him. And they ventured into our room, and Murtagh accidentally crashed into you."

"And that knocked me out?" Eragon asked, bewildered.

"Well, Elva was on top of him, and Solembum missed jumping on Murtagh and crashed into your head as well."

"Oh."

There was a brief silence. Then Arya rose. "I must leave now. Goodbye."

As she left, Eragon wondered what he'd done wrong. One moment she was completely at ease, and the next she was stiff and formal, as if they were strangers.

Eragon heard her converse with someone outside the door, then the voices stopped, and Murtagh came in sheepishly.

"Hello."

"Hello."

They were silent. Murtagh tried his best to look at anything but Eragon.

"So, you crashed into me?" It was a stupid attempt at conversation but Eragon was desperate.

Murtagh winced. "Yes. Her Royal Highness told you everything?"

Eragon stared. Murtagh hadn't talked of Arya like that since...since the war.

Murtagh noticed Eragon's gaze. He sighed, then spoke. "When Arya saw you were unconscious, she became rather hostile towards us all. Yelling and everything. Completely lost her temper. Very un-queen like. Which leads me to believe you weren't completely keeping to yourselves in that room." He smirked at his brother.

It was Eragon's turn to look away.

Murtagh's smirk grew bigger. "I knew it."

"You couldn't possibly-"

"Yes I could. You two were in a room. With a locked door. And no one else was there." He said the last part slowly.

Eragon's cheeks flamed. "Besides, everyone knows you two have been dancing around each other since the war ended."

"What about you and Nasuada?" Eragon shot back.

Murtagh stared. "What do you-"

"Don't deny it." Eragon interrupted, grinning widely.

Murtagh closed his mouth. Then opened it. And closed it again.

Eragon felt he had won for the moment. He leaned back on his pillow, and closed his eyes. He didn't remember when he drifted off to sleep, but he did. The dream he had was less then great.

_He was floating, looking inside the throne room where Rial and Vermund had their headquarters. Rial was raging at the dwarf. _

_"How could you be so careless? They could crush us like a bug with the knowledge they now posses!"_

_"I don't understand why are forces didn't stop them! They just disappeared from the door-" Vermund explained._

_"They have dragons, you fool! Did your dwarves search the skies?" Rial snarled, and sent a ball of magic towards Vermund, who was not expecting it._

_He was knocked back into a stone pillar, where he groaned, and slowly rose, anger clear in his eyes._

_Rial did not back down. "Your dwarves will not return from this mission without succeeding. If they fail, and dare enter these halls once more, I will personally kill each and every one of them. Is that understood?" She sent another ball of magic towards the dwarf, who attempted to dodge, but got hit again. _

_He writhed on the floor, fear flashing in his eyes. Then it stopped. "You shall not harm any of my clan."_

_Rial hovered over him, smirking, holding another ball of pure, hot magic. "I think I shall. Beginning with you."_

_He turned to her. "You are not my master." He croaked. The fires in the room diminished, and Rial's eyes flared. He was hit again. And again. And he could not move. _

_Finally it ceased. "I _am_ your master. And you _will_ listen to my commands. Or you will suffer greatly. .Understood." It was not a question. She knew she had won._

_The old dwarf's energy was failing. He tried to hold back...but the pain. "Yes...Master."_

_Rial's smirk grew, and the magic in her hand disappeared. She walked towards the table, leaving the dwarf alone in his misery. _

_He tried to stay conscious, but his head hit the floor with a dull thunk, and all was dark._

Eragon woke gasping, with only his and Saphira's bond for comfort.

* * *

_"You must tell the Council." _Saphira told him.

"No."

"_Or Laciana."_

"No."

_"Or Vrael."_

"No!"

It was afternoon, and Eragon had been released from the infirmary. He was alone in his room, but oh, how he wished Arya was with him again. At least Saphira would stop pestering him.

"_I assure you, I would not."_

"Ugh!" Eragon flopped down on his bed. "The dream wasn't even that important. So he's her servant now."

"_It could be. You wouldn't know, would you-"_

"Why? Am I still that young Saphira? I'm not a child. I can make my own decisions."

_"Just like you did about keeping your feelings from Arya for so long?"_

She had hit a sore topic. "I...I would have eventually."

"_Not without the right push._"

"Saphira...I know you love me, but please trust me on this. I will not trouble the Council with this pointless information, when they are probably already busy." Eragon said softly.

_"You do not know that._" Saphira pointed out.

"They're busy enough to ignore us, in any case." There was a brief pause.

_"As you wish."_ Saphira relented. Eragon could tell her pride was a little hurt from being ignored as well.

He chuckled. "It's all about pride with you, isn't it?"

_"I am a dragon. I have every right to be proud."_ She replied.

"That is true."

Saphira left to talk to Firnen, so Eragon decided to find Angela. She could always keep him entertained, even if not on purpose.

* * *

Angela was on the edges of the woods, looking for some object or another, as she always was.

"Hello." Eragon greeted her. He did not get a reply. But he waited patiently, content to watch the dragons practicing maneuvers in the sky.

Angela finally responded to him. "Humph. I suppose you think I can entertain you."

Eragon managed to smother a laugh. "Of course not. Why would you think that?"

Angela shot him an impatient look. "Why do you think?"

Eragon was about to reply, but Solembum shot out of the woods. He sprinted over to Eragon, and pressed himself against the Dragon Rider's legs. He did not say anything, but remained there for a while, then slipped off.

Eragon decided that was probably the only apology he was going to get.

"I forgive you!" He called after the were-cat. Solembum paused for a moment, then turned and tipped his head in Eragon's direction Then he continued on his way.

Behind him, Angela chuckled. "Were-cats. Still as hard to understand as on the day we met."

Eragon raised his eyebrows. "_You_ are admitting you don't know something?"

Angela looked offended. "Of course not. I am simply pointing out that he is difficult to understand."

Eragon decided to let the matter drop. He watched the witch go about on her gathering, muttering to herself as she worked.

"What are you looking for?" He asked.

Angela did not deign to reply, and Eragon knew she would continue to ignore him. So he headed off to the sparring field.

* * *

As he walked, Eragon looked around and enjoyed the views. He was sheltered from the sun by a leafy green canopy created by the trees bending over him. Though most of his view was covered, he could still see the dragons, twinkling in the afternoon sun's light. He thought he saw Saphira once or twice, but he did not dwell upon the fact. Finally, he stopped on the very edge of the path, where he was still sheltered by the trees, and the people in the sparring field could not see him.

He spotted Galbatorix, practicing with his friends. He wondered if Galbatorix was already planning to take over Alagaesia. His dragon was still alive, but there was no telling what was going on in his head. Unless...

Briefly Eragon thought about reaching his mind out and exploring his future enemy's mind. Then he thought what the Council would do if he attempted to extract information from the young Galbatorix's head forcibly.. They would probably put him in the dungeons for treason.

Eragon continued to observe the Riders as they practiced for the war that they assumed was non-existent. And it was...for now. A war could compel anyone to take extreme measures, from leaving their own people for the good of others, to exterminating an entire race.

He noted how many of the youngsters were simply loafing around, laughing and talking. In the Varden, there had been people sparring on every bit of grass they could find, at any time.

_That must have been the reason why Galbatorix was able to take over so easily._ He realized that partly the old king had been right. The Rider's were not prepared for the attack, because they were confidant no one would try to take their control. Of course there were little skirmishes here and there, like the case with Rial. But nothing had ever been so serious that each and every Rider, from the aged teachers to the week-old apprentices had to be roused.

Suddenly, a voice from behind him sounded. "You are disappointed as to how much effort our young Riders are putting in to sparring."

Eragon whirled around, instincts kicking in as he pulled Brisingr out of its sheath.

Laciana eyed him, calculatingly. She stepped away from the tree she had been leaning against, and sighed.

"You should not have had to fight a war so young."

Eragon replaced his weapon. "How much do you know about us?"

She laughed. "Quite a bit." She gestured for him to follow.

As they walked on the sides of the sparring field, many pupils jumped up from their resting places, embarrassed at being caught neglecting their assignment by a Council member.

"We observed the plans and notes we recovered from our mission, and we think Rial is trying to attack Ilirea."

"W-What?!" Eragon spluttered. Of all things she could have said, this was the least expected.

"She believes she has complete control over the dwarves. But we are expecting that to be untrue. The dwarves are not a race who would take orders from a human. So her plans, which are usually detailed, to the point, and successful, may be altered a bit when they are carried out by Vermund."

Eragon remembered his dream. Maybe, it was important.

"I had a dream about Rial and Vermund..."He explained his dream to her. The elder Rider didn't say a word the whole time, and when he finished, she gazed at the flying dragons above thoughtfully.

"That is...troubling. It seems she found his true name. Our plans will have to be revised and corrected." She started to walk towards Julinka Hall, but Eragon grabbed her arm.

"We can help you make the plans." She stared at him for a moment, then seemed to come to her senses.

"Yes...it is possible. I will consult Vrael on the matter."

Eragon began to grow frustrated. "What should we do while we're here? Are we to simply idle around uselessly?"

Laciana's face softened as she heard the desperation behind his words.

"Vrael will most likely approve of the idea. However, I am not the leader of the Riders. I cannot promise you the outcome will be the one you desire."

Eragon nodded reluctantly and sighed.

Laciana smiled faintly."Do not worry, we shall devise a strategy soon enough. You shall not have to wait long for another mission. Perhaps, in the meantime, you can try to win over that charming elf of yours." With that unexpected comment, she left him openly gawking and slipped inside the building's door.

As Eragon walked back to his quarters, he wondered if his affections were really that obvious. He recalled what Murtagh had said.

_Besides, everyone knows you two have been dancing around each other since the war ended._

He may have been joking at the time, but Eragon realized Murtagh hadn't been lying; he and Arya really did make it obvious from their actions while in each other's company. _Well, there's no point denying it._

Eragon walked in to the main room that connected all his friend's quarters, and saw Arya, staring out the window sadly. A tear made it's way down her cheek, and she did nothing to brush it off.

It pained Eragon's heart to see her like that, so dejected and despairing. He quietly made his way over and sat down beside her.

She did not acknowledge his presence in any way, although Eragon knew she had seen him by now.

After a few minutes, she spoke. "Why are you here?" Her voice was hoarse, and she choked out the words, so Eragon could tell she had been crying for far longer then he had originally suspected.

Eragon tried to think of the best way to reply, torn between asking after her, or answering her question. He decided the priority was her state-of-being, and said, "What happened?"

She looked away, and said, "The war."

Eragon, for all the time he had known her, could not make heads or tails of the response he had received, and so specified his previous question, "What happened to you personally to cause this...reaction?"

She kept staring out the window, and didn't answer for a while. Then she sighed, as if resigning herself to the fact Eragon would not stop questioning her until he fully understood.

"My mother died on this day, Eragon. The pain doesn't go away, the memories come back, and I can picture what might have happened had I been there and able to save her. And I didn't." She buried her face in her hands.

Eragon scooted closer to her, and wrapped her in his arms. He could tell that for all the control she possessed, she needed to let it out at some point. So all he could do was whisper soothing words to her as she cried her heart out on his shoulder.

He truly understood how she felt, because of Garrow's death. He had continually blamed himself for that throughout the war, wishing he had learnt all the skills he was the when his uncle had died. But soon he had realized, that instead of mourning the dead, the best thing to do was honor their lives, and stop beating yourself up for it.

When Arya's sobs had been reduced to quiet tears, Eragon simply held her, and did not rush her to speak. His thoughts began to stray to Rial. He knew he had never seen her name in any of the scrolls he had read, so perhaps this wouldn't have happened if they hadn't been transported to the Rider's era. Which drew him to a troubling and rather frightening thought...they did not know how to return to their own time. Would they be stuck forever in this age? That would change future events quite a bit. Would the same mysterious force that had brought them here take them back when the time was right? What had brought them here? Why?

Eragon had absolutely no idea how it had happened. He didn't even think it was possible to time-travel. He had never heard of it, although it would have been helpful during the war. They could have even caused the war to never start! So many lives would have been saved...but then again, they didn't know how they had time-traveled. It could be very dangerous trying it on their own-maybe it was one of those spells that could kill you, like trying to bring back the dead.

Arya stirred, and brought him out of his thoughts.

"It hurts." She said softly. Eragon ached for her.

"I know."

She was silent for another moment, then said, "Thank you." Eragon didn't think it would be appropriate to reply with 'Your welcome' for a matter like this.

"Anytime."

Arya pushed herself away from Eragon and stood. He eyed her wearily, remembering the cold tone she had used on him in the infirmary.

"Have I done something to upset you?"

Arya looked confused."No, why?"

"In the infirmary-" He began, but was cut off by a finger placed on his lips.

"I apologize for that. I was confused about my feelings." She then removed her finger and replaced it with her lips.

Eragon didn't know exactly what had changed her mind, but he didn't really care. This, him holding her, felt so right. They were meant for each other.

Finally, Arya broke the kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and they stood like that, foreheads pressed together, for a long time. It could have been two minutes or two hours. It didn't matter. They were together, and everything was perfect in their own little world, where thy could ignore the whole case with Rial, and the fact they weren't even in the right time.

Arya's eyes flickered up to meet his, green and brown, elf and human, love and lover.

And without a single doubt, she said, "I love you."

* * *

**There's a little AxE because of the long wait. And this is a slightly longer chapter. Not a lot though. *sigh* I wish I could make them longer, just for all my wonderful readers. **

**Anyway, I've decided this whole chapter delaying thing is getting WAY out of control. So I've made a plan: I'm going to update once a month, and write at least 1000-1500 words every weekend. that way, the chapters are longer, and worth all the waiting. **

**And I always feel SO bad whenever I don't get the time to write these chapters, because all you readers have to wait, and I hate disappointing you all. So I'm going to try to stick to my plan, and try to make the characters less OC in this story-I'm so sorry about that too :(**

**And in this chapter, I wasn't really sure what to call the hospital, so I changed it to 'infirmary'. Is that what they would call it?**

**Please review. **


	17. Chapter 17

**I do not own Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Arya and Eragon's embrace was interrupted by a knock on the door. Hastily, they untangled their bodies and Arya went to the door, somehow retaining her professional, queen-like posture even after the previous events.

Eragon was left to try to find something to do that didn't indicate an idea of what they had been actually doing. He ended up pretending to sleep on his side, facing away from the door. He closed his eyes, but listened carefully to the conversation that occurred.

"Hello?" Arya said as she pulled the door open.

She was rather surprised when no reply came, but Laciana grabbed her arm, and pulled her into the hall. She stuck her head into the door.

"Eragon, get over here. I know you're awake, and frankly, you're a horrible actor." She said in an exasperated voice.

Eragon turned around and slowly lifted himself off the bed.

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you on the way there."

"Where?" He asked, bewildered. He was greeted by silence. Laciana had already left.

Eragon grudgingly walked across the room, and slipped into the hall. He saw Laciana and Arya turn the corner, and he hurried to follow.

* * *

"Okay, now will you tell me where we're going?"

"In a moment." Laciana replied, and continued on.

"Please?"

Laciana sighed, but still ignored him.

Eragon was getting frustrated. He fell back to walk with Arya, who had been watching their exchange from behind with an amused expression.

"Do you know where we're going?" He asked.

"No. But I suppose its better to remain silent and wait until she speaks, then to pester her continually and delay her response."

Eragon fell silent, and as they walked he realized they were heading in the direction of the Julinka Hall. He also realized Saphira was present there.

_"Saphira."_

_"Yes?"_

_"Do you know why we're going to Julinka Hall?"_

She was quiet for a while.

_"Yes, but I am not allowed to tell you until you arrive."_

_"Why?"_

_"I do not know, little one. Perhaps they think another traitor is in their midst and will overhear you."_

Eragon realized that Saphira would not reveal anything else, and so stopped speaking.

* * *

When they arrived, the Council, Vrael, and their dragons were already present.

Arya walked over to Firnen, and asked. "_When did you get here? You didn't say anything."_

_"Just like you didn't say anything when you stuck us in the Dragon Keep for days without even visiting."_ Firnen said coldly.

Arya blinked. Firnen didn't usually show his emotions like this. But then she was hit with a pang of sadness. She _had_ been neglecting him. Yes, she had been caught up in her affair with Eragon, but that was no reason to ignore their bond. _  
_

"_I'm sorry."_ She said.

Firnen snorted, but allowed her to scratch under his chin. "_I know. You have been busy. I just miss the freedom we had in Ellesmera, where we were seldom separated. And flying over the forest together. Remember that time I decided to go hunting while we were flying?"_

_"Ugh. How could I not. Just the thought of that poor deer_(**A/N-No pun intended. :)**_ makes my stomach queasy."_

Firnen chuckled, and Eragon and Saphira looked up from where they had been conversing.

Arya cleared her throat. "So why have you brought us here?"

Laciana stepped forward. "We are planning another mission, and we would like your opinion on the matter."

Several Council members muttered disapprovingly, but were quickly silenced by Laciana's glare.

Elva twisted a strand of her hair. "Sooo, you have already come up with most of the plan, and you just need the finishing touches from us."

Lacian hesitated. "Yes. And we cannot allow Rial enough time to coordinate an attack."

"_What if she's not planning an attack? What if she has enough forces, and she's just waiting for you to make the first move?_" Solembum asked.

"That is a likely possibility. But, if she is planning an attack, we _must_ make the first move." Vrael said.

Solembum flicked his tail in annoyance. "_What will you do if she has a larger army than yours ready?"_

"What do you suggest we do?" Vrael asked.

"_Wait._"Solembum replied.

"What a typical response from a were-cat." Someone in the Council muttered. Saphira roared in indignation.

Solembum ignored him, and continued chasing a mouse he had found on the floor of the Dragon Keep.

Laciana watched him cryptically, before flicking her hand, causing the mouse to disappear.

Solembum looked up and growled at the elf, who seemed unfazed.

_"Vrael and I have decided to trust you in making these plans. The other Council members did not wish for this to happen. They think you are incapable of making a reliable method. Do not prove them right." _Laciana said to them mentally. Arya still couldn't understand how the other elf slipped past their defenses so quickly without them noticing.

Solembum, however, did not relent. He growled at the elf again. Laciana sighed, and the mouse appeared once more, before the werecat devoured it.

"_Anyway_, what have you decided you are going to do when you reach Rial?" Angela asked.

Vrael spoke up. "Well, first, four Riders will attempt to find an opening of the castle which is either not guarded at all, or does not have many guards. If none is found, we shall choose the portion of the castle which is farthest from Rial's quarters, which we have deduced are in-" Here Vrael paused and took a map out of Umaroth's _saddlebags._ "the northern part of the Eastern most tower."

And so the meeting continued for hours. It only ended because Elva fell asleep, everyone else was about to, and the sun was rising, because they had been there overnight.

The dragons left together, making their way to the Dragon Keep, where the others were waking up. The rest of them went to their quarters, where they fell asleep almost immediately, or in Elva's case, more comfortably.

* * *

The next morning, they all stood by their dragons, still not completely awake. The Council members seemed perfectly well-rested, and were eyeing the time-travelers distrustfully.

"How are they not tired? They probably used magic to make it look like they're not tired. Yes, that's it." Angela ranted under her breath. She obviously held a grudge for being thought incapable.

Eragon and Murtagh _had_ been offended originally, but realized the Council members had a good reason for it. Well, Arya had been able to convince Eragon. Murtagh was just stubborn.

Arya sighed, and pressed closer to Firnen. He hummed softly, ad Arya smiled.

_"What?"_ Firnen asked.

_"You dragons hum when you're content, and don't even realize you're doing it."_

Firnen blinked, and turned his head to stare quizzically at his Rider._ "Do you realize when you move your hands while walking?"_

"_I suppose not." _Arya replied, after thinking for a moment.

They passed the rest of the time in companionable silence, as Laciana and Vrael stood reviewing their plans. A warm breeze blew Arya's hair into her face, and she pushed it behind her ear. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eragon watching her. She blushed and looked at her feet. In the back of her mind, she knew it probably wasn't the proper thing to do, her mother wouldn't have done it either. But for a second, she imagined what it would be like to stay with Eragon forever.

_"I certainly wouldn't object._" Firnen stated dryly. Arya hit him with the side of her palm. Of course he wouldn't mind. Saphira was his mate.

Firnen chuckled, then took on a serious tone. "_No, really. If he makes you happy, then its fine with me."_

"_I never asked your opinion._" Arya retorted. But they both knew it had mattered to her.

"Let's go." Laciana said. They had prepared themselves for the flight beforehand, filling the dragons' saddlebags with food and supplies for the trip. They had decided to set up a camp a few miles outside of the boundaries of the castle Rial was taking refuge in.

As Arya climbed onto Firnen, it dawned on her that this was the first battle they were taking part in since the Great War. Yes, she had practiced her swordsmanship everyday in Ellesmera, and even here in Doru Araeba, but Arya couldn't help but wonder. Was she as prepared for this as she though? Mentally and physically? She knew her skills couldn't just leave her, but she hadn't killed someone in so long. The thought almost made her sick.

"_You can do it._" Firnen reassured her. She would have to. If not, Rial could bring a terrible fate to Alagaesia, and change the future forever.

* * *

**Hey everyone, the next chapter will have a lot of action in it, and it didn't really go with this chapter so its going to be separate. It'll be up in a week.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Elva sighed. She hadn't been allowed to patrol with the others _again_. Did they honestly think she was just a child? Of course, she did look it, but she acted mature...enough. This had been the same case in the Great War, but back then she had actually been a child, and they had still let her do more than now.

If they actually expected her to stay at the camp because of some elf's _orders_, they would have to rethink. She was _not_ a child, and she would _not_ be treated like one. As silently as she could so as not to disturb Angela, Elva rose from her bed and went to her bags. She rummaged around until she found what she was looking for. Her knife.

It had a small gold handle, where her name was artistically engraved in the ancient language. A pattern of ivy started from the bottom of the hilt to the top, circling around the knife. It had been a gift from a friend she had made during her travels with Angela. However, the two of them had been in an argument when Elva was forced to leave. They had had no time to reconcile, and Elva had no idea where he was today.

Elva stood and raised the tent flap. She paused, and looked at Angela. The witch was sleeping peacefully; she would not wake up until dawn, and by then, Elva would be too far out to be caught easily, even with a dragon. Solembum was also asleep next to her.

She went outside to the horse she had ridden on to arrive there. The rain was pounding down in heavy sheets, making it extremely difficult to see. Speaking to her horse softly, she quietly untied him, jumped on his back, and rode off in the direction of the castle.

* * *

Eragon was freezing. The Council could not have picked a worse night to go scouting on.

"_Well genius, why don't you use magic to make yourself warm?"_ Saphira snapped at him.

Eragon didn't reply to his dragon, knowing she was tired as well, and they didn't need to have an argument right now. The winds were harsh, almost as if Rial had purposely asked for them to make their mission complicated.

Eragon still couldn't use magic on something as small as warmth right now though, if they were attacked he would need all of his strength.

Only a small group had been sent out to gather information on the entrances to the castle. Arya and Firnen had come, as well as Murtagh and Thorn. Four other Council members had also been assigned the task, and they had made it clear in the first few minutes of starting they did not want any communication with the time travelers unless absolutely necessary.

As they descended, Eragon spotted a guard staring mindlessly into the woods. Though he was probably an inexperienced soldier, Eragon alerted the others. Of course, the Council members repelled him from their minds, so Saphira had to swoop in front of the leader's dragon.

The dragon roared, and swerved out of the way. It was enough time, however, for Eragon to jump off Saphira's back, and next to the Council member. He vaguely heard her roar of irritation, because the minute the dragon realized Eragon was on his back, he started doing every aerial maneuver that existed. Eragon was reminded of the tests that were given to the Riders during their training on Du Skulbalka Grind.

Snapping back to the present, Eragon drew his sword and pointed it at the startled Rider's neck.

"Stop!" He yelled. The dragon froze, though thankfully didn't stop moving his wings. There had been times like that while training the Riders, when the younger dragons stupidly stopped working their wings. Eragon shook his head. Why was he thinking about Du Skulbalka Grind again?

"There's a guard down there! He probably knows about us now because of your idiotic actions, and if you had let me contact you with my mind, maybe he wouldn't!" Eragon hissed angrily.

"I-" The Council member began to argue, but Eragon had already jumped back on Saphira.

"_Eragon._" Saphira said.

"What?" He snapped back. She was silent. Eragon sighed. "I'm sorry. The Council is just so frustrating."

"_They are only trying to do what is best for the Riders._" Eragon snorted. "They're not doing a very good job."

"_True._"

"What were you saying?"

"_Are you sure you would like to know? Do you have any other important business, or can I have the honor of speaking to you?_" Saphira asked sarcastically. Eragon winced. She was obviously still upset with him for snapping at her.

"I'm sorry." Saphira released a puff of air, but let it go. She could hold a grudge later, right now they needed to fight. "_The guard spotted us._"

Eragon cursed, and informed the others. Thankfully, the Council members had been frightened enough to let him through their mental barriers.

* * *

Korchin was having a bad day. He was stuck on guard duty, watching if the Riders were approaching the castle. There was absolutely nothing to do. And he didn't even have a partner, since Rial and Vermund had decided they couldn't spare many dwarves.

He sighed, and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Personally, he thought this whole concept of a revolution was absurd. Why did Rial think that the Riders would care if a few people revolted? They ruled almost all of Alagaesia, for goodness sake. They could send a few people over, and Rial's entire army would be gone, and she would be stuck in prison.

Of course, he didn't say anything out loud. He would probably be killed on the spot. No, it was absolutely certain he would be killed on the spot. As desperate for men and dwarves as she was, their ruler wouldn't hesitate to kill someone whose loyalties remained undecided.

The only reason Korchin was here was because of his clan. He still wouldn't mind some entertainment though.

Suddenly, he heard a roar sound above him. Korchin snapped his head up, to see...dragons. At first, he allowed himself to gaze at them, lost in their beauty, before he jolted back. Quickly, he sounded the alarm, all while staring up at the magnificent beasts. Two elves were on the same dragon, and one seemed to be threatening the other.

Korchin frowned. Perhaps the Riders were not as cooperative and peaceful as Alagaesia perceived them as.

Footsteps thudded behind him, and Korchin didn't even have to look to know they were warriors, sent to eradicate the intruders. He lifted his spear, but he knew it was not with the intention of harm. He was curious about dragons in general, having not seen many, but he knew he would be punished if he did not act.

But still...he was unwilling to harm such a creature, even if it would not hesitate to harm him. Korchin decided if the Riders were captured, he would aid them in their escape. He had no love for his clan anyway.

"They are foolish...very foolish to come here in such few numbers." A voice behind him croaked. Korchin shivered involuntarily, before realizing the threat the new arrival posed for the riders. He whirled around, face to face with Tisrae and Rylin, the two shades Rial had employed.

* * *

"_Should we retreat?_" Eragon asked Arya.

She hesitated. They had not managed to retrieve the information they needed, but if they did return, their base would be revealed. They would lose the element of surprise, and that was a crucial element in the direction their plans were leaning towards.

"_We should exterminate them, but if any more approach, we will not have a choice."_ Firnen said.

Arya nodded, and looked over at Eragon. He was still gazing at her, though his expression made it clear he was not thinking about the plan.

"We will attack. "Arya said out loud, so the Council members could hear.

"Now wait just a-" One of them started. Arya turned and glared at him. He fell silent.

In a unified motion, all of their dragons swooped downwards.

As they rushed to the ground, the panicked yet determined faces of the guards came into view. Saphira reared back and let loose a torrent of flame. It set fire to some of the grass surrounding the guards, but they were unharmed. With vicious grins, twelve warriors, accompanied by two men wearing cloaks, advanced.

"_They are protected by magic._" Saphira said in shock.

Arya cast a spell, intending to take out the two guards on the side. They simply deflected the blow, and kept marching until they were standing a ways in front of them. One of the cloaked men stepped forward, and slammed his spear on the ground.

"Where is your leader?" He said. He did not yell, but his voice resounded.

"_They probably just want to threaten us."_ Eragon said to Saphira, not believing the human.

_"Perhaps. But we should hear what they wish to say, nonetheless._" Saphira replied. The other Riders were looking at Eragon and Saphira, waiting for their response.

Eragon cleared his throat. The rain had plastered his clothes to his body, and he was tired and irritated. He didn't feel like a leader. But one thing Eragon had learned since leading the Riders on Du Skulbalka Grind was that he could not show his emotions. Weak as he was, demoralized as he was, he could not let his followers lose hope in him.

"What do you want?" Eragon said, hoping the opposing leader would hear him. He didn't want to have to scream.

"Leave now or die." The covered guard replied boldly, glaring at the Riders.

_"Continue the attack."_ Eragon said to his companions. To the human standing before him, he said, "We will not leave."

The guard's face twisted into a sinister smile under his hood."Then be prepared to die." He stepped forward, and blasted Eragon with a powerful wave of red magic. Eragon was pushed off Saphira's back. As he hurtled towards the ground, Eragon had no choice but to use magic. He straightened, and still held in mid-air, he searched the ground for the magician, but he was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly, a voice sounded at his ear.

"Looking for someone?" Eragon whirled around to find himself looking at a man with a scarlet ball of energy in his left hand, and an equally frightening smile on his face.

* * *

**Sorry for the long wait. I know you're pretty pissed with me by now, so I'll start with the next chapter ASAP. (And since that's what I say every time, I'll post a preview of the next chapter on Tuesday, Eastern Time. **


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inheritance Cycle. All rights go to Christopher Paolini.**

* * *

Elva groaned as lightning crackled in the air. It was bad enough with the rain battering down on her, and now she seemed to be in for a light show as well. How far could the Riders possibly have gotten? As they were on dragons, it wasn't likely they were still flying. Elva remembered how closely Riders and their dragons were connected. She had seen their bonds on Vroengard, and even before that with Eragon and Saphira.

Elva wished she had someone like that. Someone she could trust her life with, someone who trusted her, completely and absolutely. Someone who appreciated her. No, someone who loved her. Because, in the end, everyone, at some point in their lives, had someone who loved them. Arya and Eragon had each other. As did Firnen and Saphira.

Angela had had a love-hate relationship with her old master, Tenga. Solembum had had his werecat family, and it was highly unlikely he had not had a mate at one point, although he chose not disclose personal information. Even Murtagh loved and was loved by Nasuada, and Thorn loved his Rider, and vice versa. Laciana loved Vrael, in a motherly sort of way, and Vrael loved her as well. All the Riders also had their dragons, their partners for life, whom they would give their own life for.

Everyone had a loved one, everyone had a lover.

Except Elva. She was alone in this world...her parents had died when she was a baby, she had no dragon, she had no one. She could consider Eragon and Arya and everyone else she had helped fight in the war against Galbatorix with as friends, but they had not really ever talked to each other just for the sake of having company. Greata, her care-taker, had only loved her because she had no one else.

Elva wanted to be loved for who she was, not because she was pitied. But Elva knew who she was...an outcast. She was not meant to have friends. This choice had been taken from her the moment Eragon cursed her as a child. Still, Elva wanted someone, anyone, to understand her.

Elva's face was bent down against the rain, and her cloak was soaked. Her poor horse trotted on, neighing sadly.

"Yes. It's a dreary world without a friend, isn't it?" Elva spoke softly. She, obviously, got no response.

"You would think that in such a large land, there would be someone out there who would care about you. And there is, for the lucky ones. The people who find perfect matches, they think everything's great." She was silent for a moment.

Suddenly, a flash of lightning brightened the sky. Elva looked up in alarm, but she could have sworn the lightning was almost...red. She only had a moment to register this fact, before her horse bolted.

Elva slipped off, and in a panicked moment of pure instinct, she dug her heels into the side of her horse. The horse reared, and Elva felt her fingers slip off the reins, the leather tearing off her skin. The horse galloped away, leaving Elva alone, in the middle of nowhere, in the blinding rain.

She couldn't hold it in anymore. Elva curled into a fetal position as her body racked with sobs, tears mixing with the rain.

* * *

Eragon was shocked. The person hovering before him was none other then the Shade they had seen when the had been returning to Vroengard. Which meant...there had to be another. Eragon glanced down and saw a women, darting around in the air, and casting spells on the Council members and their dragons. She laughed wickedly as the Riders writhed in pain. Arya was attempting to engage her in combat, but the warriors were fighting her as well.

Was Rial using Eldunari too? It was the only way the two Shades could possibly be doing all this magic without breaking a sweat. Eragon turned back to his grinning opponent.

"You see Eragon? None of your efforts will do any good. We will bring you down, and you will watch as your beloved Riders fail to defend themselves against our new order, our Agaeti Andlat.

Celebration of Death. They wanted to kill simply for the sake of killing, hurt simply for the sake of hurting. Rial didn't want anything from this war...she just hated the Riders. Even though she was one.

The Shade's unsettling smile grew wider. "Yes, little Rider. Our Celebration of Death. Because, what is life, if in the end you will die? You can be a great man or a terrible one, yet you will not last forever."

The Shade was closer to him now, holding his ball of energy up to Eragon's chest. Eragon couldn't move. Because, suddenly, the implications of this shocking discovery had caught up to him. They were not doing this for a purpose. They were doing it for no other reason then spite; because they resented the fact that elves and Riders should live on, while mortal men died left and right.

But...Rial was a Rider. She had no reason to hate the rest of them. She was probably just crazy.

"Unless, of course, you are immortal." The Shade whispered. And then the energy in his hands seemed to drip, in slow motion, onto Eragon's chest. He screamed as every particle of his being strained to keep him together. He heard Saphira's cry of pain, but he could not sense her through his bond. Eragon fell through the air, until someone...no something caught him.

Eragon looked up into they eyes of his captor, expecting it to be Arya or one of his other friends. Except it wasn't.

The female Shade passed her hand over Eragon's eyes, and then there was darkness.

* * *

Saphira jumped on a warrior and attempted to slice him in half with her talons. He jumped towards the left, and attempted to spear her belly again. Saphira snarled, and lifted off the ground, dodging the female Shade's ball of fire by only a few inches.

She couldn't tell how long they had been doing this, fighting this seemingly hopeless battle against equal opponents. They had underestimated the warriors because of their numbers, and now they were paying for it. Twelve warriors had not seemed like a lot, until it was deduced that they had magical wards that protected them from being harmed by magic. It also seemed as though their reflexes had been enhanced, as they were able to move much quicker then normal humans...all in all, their abilities seemed similar to those of elves.

Saphira saw her mate flying Arya around the Shade, trying to get her a good position in which the Shade was vulnerable. Murtagh and Thorn had been separated, and were trying to find their way back together so as to increase their fighting strength, however, the warriors were preventing them from doing so. The two Council members that had come with them were also fighting, but even as Saphira dodged another ball of energy from the Shade, she saw one collapse, and his dragon stopped attacking to guard his vulnerable Rider. The other kept fighting.

The rain was not making their battle any easier. Although the dragons were unaffected by it, their Riders were susceptible to the blinding downpour. The warriors and the Shades did not seem to mind the precipitation.

Suddenly, Saphira felt a sharp, agonizing pain from Eragon's bond. It seemed to grow...until Saphira could not concentrate on anything else. She cried out, for both the spell she could feel across her bond, and for the physical injury a warrior had just delivered to her wing.

And then...she felt nothing. It was as if her bond with Eragon had somehow been severed...but he was not dead. Saphira looked up to where Eragon had been floating previously, and she saw her Rider falling.

Roaring, she flew as fast as she could to catch him, but the female Shade got there first. She took Eragon in her arms, and then looked to the other Shade.

Saphira had forgotten about him. She had been too caught up in the battle with the warriors that she failed to notice what Eragon was doing.

Saphira roared at the Shade holding Eragon, who glanced up calmly. And then she bolted. Saphira dived, trying to stop her from reaching the castle doors, but the Shade was fast. Just as Saphira let loose a torrent of flame, she slipped through the closing door of the castle, taking Eragon with her.

She whipped around, looking for the other Shade, but he was nowhere to be found. Neither were the warriors. Saphira howled in pain and rage, the loss of her Rider her only thought, as she clawed and screeched at the castle walls.

* * *

Disbelief. That was what Arya felt as she tried to organize the group. Eragon had been captured. She had done nothing to stop it. Why had she not seen it sooner? Why could she not have sensed his danger earlier?

"Erm...Arya?"

"What?" Arya snapped at Murtagh. She was not in the mood to talk. Eragon had been captured by some stupid Shade. After all they had been through together with Shades, he had been captured by one right under her nose.

"Could you tell Saphira to, um, stop doing that?"

"Why?" Arya said, not even looking at him.

"Because she's not listening to us, and-"

"So?" She cast a spell to revive the unconscious Council member. The other watched her work wearily.

Murtagh stared at her. Arya sighed, and walked to Saphira.

"Saphira?" She questioned softly.

The dragon did not reply and continued to wail and scratch the stone wall.

"Its no point trying to get to him like that. Even if we did make it, we don't have a strong enough force to get him out." Arya snapped, growing irritated.

Saphira ignored her. Arya decided to try a different tactic.

"We need to get to Vrael and Laciana. They'll know how to get Eragon out quickly, before they have time to hurt him." She deliberately avoided saying "kill him", because even she wasn't ready to accept that fact yet.

Saphira paused, and backed away from the wall. She didn't speak, but she took off immediately in the direction of the Riders' base.

* * *

**I went on vacation and forgot my laptop. *ducks behind couch* Please don't kill me. I'm starting the next chapter NOW.**


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